Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stock Position in E.W. Scripps Company (The) $SSP

Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP) by 174.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 582,224 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 370,260 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in E.W. Scripps were worth $2,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in E.W. Scripps during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 67.1% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 14,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,992 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of E.W. Scripps in the second quarter worth $46,000. 67.81% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

E.W. Scripps News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting E.W. Scripps this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scripps said it is targeting $100 million in annualized cost savings by year-end, a plan that could improve profitability and cash flow as the company restructures its local television operations. Scripps targets $100 million in annual run-rate savings
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast approximately $225 million to $250 million in political advertising revenue, providing an important potential boost during the 2026 election cycle. Political advertising and savings outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted results were viewed as better than feared in some estimates: Scripps reported a loss of $0.34 per share, compared with a consensus estimate of a $0.53 loss in one widely followed estimate. Management also highlighted artificial intelligence and a 24-hour streaming-news model as opportunities to reduce operating costs and expand content distribution. Scripps reports second-quarter financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is implementing a transformation plan centered on AI-enabled local news production and streaming. The strategy could improve efficiency, but its effect on audience growth and long-term revenue remains unproven. Scripps layoffs and AI strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue was $490.4 million, below the approximately $511.7 million consensus estimate, while the company remained unprofitable. Some estimates also showed the per-share loss was worse than expected, underscoring continued earnings pressure. Scripps reports second-quarter loss
• Negative Sentiment: Scripps has cut roughly 12% of its workforce, primarily at local television stations. The layoffs may support the savings target but also highlight significant pressure on the traditional television business and execution risk from the restructuring. Scripps workforce reductions

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Molly E. Mccabe sold 142,970 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.48, for a total transaction of $497,535.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 123,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,860.04. This trade represents a 53.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 326,675 shares of company stock worth $1,117,887 over the last three months. Company insiders own 5.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of E.W. Scripps from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen raised E.W. Scripps to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded E.W. Scripps from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.95.

E.W. Scripps Trading Up 12.5%

Shares of SSP opened at $3.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58. E.W. Scripps Company has a 1 year low of $2.02 and a 1 year high of $5.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.57. The firm has a market cap of $303.91 million, a P/E ratio of -0.24 and a beta of 0.65.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by $0.19. E.W. Scripps had a negative net margin of 58.02% and a negative return on equity of 3.00%. The firm had revenue of $490.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $511.65 million. On average, equities analysts expect that E.W. Scripps Company will post 0.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

E.W. Scripps Company Profile

The E.W. Scripps Company is a diversified U.S. media organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Established in 1878 by Edward Willis Scripps, the company began as a newspaper publisher before expanding into broadcast television, cable networks and digital journalism. Today, Scripps combines a legacy of local news reporting with a growing portfolio of national cable channels and digital platforms.

Scripps operates more than 60 television stations across over 40 markets, delivering local news, weather, sports and entertainment programming to communities in both large and mid-sized U.S.