USA Today (NYSE:TDAY) Announces Earnings Results

USA Today (NYSE:TDAY) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, Zacks reports. USA Today had a net margin of 4.11% and a return on equity of 42.98%.

Here are the key takeaways from USA Today’s conference call:

• Company reported its strongest profitability in years with Total Adjusted EBITDA of $91.1 million (up ~17% YoY), margin expansion of ~300 bps to ~15.6%, Q4 free cash flow of $31.5 million and full‑year net income positive for the first time since 2019.
• Digital momentum accelerated as digital revenues exceeded 47% of total revenue, same‑store digital revenue returned to year‑over‑year growth, digital advertising grew sequentially, and digital‑only ARPU reached a record $9.81 (up ~24% YoY).
• Management highlighted multiyear AI licensing deals (including with Meta and Microsoft) that drove a ~27% increase in “digital other” revenue and contributed meaningfully to Q4 results, though they cautioned AI licensing timing and recognition can be lumpy.
• Operational headwinds remain in LocaliQ and print—LocaliQ customer counts and revenue need improvement despite near‑record ARPU, and print/commercial revenues continue secular declines with recovery expected only in the back half of 2026.
• Balance sheet progress: the company repaid about $136 million of long‑term debt, reduced First Lien Net Leverage to 2.4x (targeting nearer ~2.0x in 2026), and trimmed interest costs via a 50 bp rate reduction on the 2029 term loan.

USA Today Trading Up 5.7%

NYSE TDAY traded up $0.35 during trading on Thursday, hitting $6.47. The stock had a trading volume of 2,000,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,427,626. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $951.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.66, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.69. USA Today has a one year low of $2.55 and a one year high of $6.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TDAY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities began coverage on USA Today in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $10.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of USA Today in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of USA Today from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised USA Today from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TDAY. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in USA Today by 72.0% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 18,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 7,562 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in USA Today during the 2nd quarter valued at $62,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of USA Today in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. Xponance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of USA Today during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in USA Today during the fourth quarter valued at about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.71% of the company’s stock.

About USA Today

Gannett Co, Inc (NYSE: GCI) is a media and marketing solutions company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. As the largest U.S. newspaper publisher by circulation, Gannett publishes USA Today alongside more than 260 local news brands. The company’s multimedia platforms include daily and weekly newspapers, websites, mobile apps and a network of subscription-based digital products.

In addition to journalism and content production, Gannett offers a suite of digital marketing services designed to help small and medium-sized businesses grow online.