The E.W. Scripps Company (SSP) Stock Price & Analysis
The E.W. Scripps Company (SSP) closed at USD 2.49 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 3.11% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 2.42; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 2.36–2.54 on volume of 889,089 shares. Market capitalization is $230.75M, with a 52-week range of USD 1.52–5.39 (NMS). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/SSP.md
Key facts (SSP)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $2.09B, net income -$1.21B (-58.0% margin), free cash flow $35.0M (SEC filings).
- Analysts: Hold (mean 3.00 on a 1–5 scale) (4 analysts), mean target USD 4.93 (range 3–8).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +39.1% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y -82.3% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-11-05, EPS estimate USD -0.02, revenue estimate $545M.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (SSP)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.28B | $2.45B | $2.29B | $2.51B | $2.15B | $2.09B |
| Operating income | $401M | $428M | -$753M | $412M | $184M | -$1.05B |
| Net income | $123M | $196M | -$948M | $146M | -$101M | -$1.21B |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.61 | $1.22 | -$11.84 | $1.01 | -$1.87 | — |
| Free cash flow | $176M | $266M | $52.0M | $300M | $6.5M | $35.0M |
| Operating margin | 17.5% | 17.5% | -32.9% | 16.4% | 8.6% | -50.3% |
| Net margin | 5.4% | 8.0% | -41.3% | 5.8% | -4.7% | -58.0% |
| Revenue growth | +22.9% | +7.4% | -6.5% | +9.5% | -14.3% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $66.2M | $18.0M | $35.3M | $23.9M | $27.9M | — |
| Total debt | $3.21B | $2.92B | $2.95B | $2.61B | $2.59B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (SSP)
P/S 0.1x · EV/Sales 1.3x · P/FCF 6.6x · P/B 2.3x · FCF yield 15.18% · Earnings yield -526.34% · Net debt $2.48B · EV $2.71B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2024 1.0x.
Analysts (SSP)
Consensus Hold (mean 3.00 on a 1–5 scale), 4 analysts; mean target USD 4.93 (low 3, high 8).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | Wells Fargo | Target lowered | Equal-Weight | $4.7 → $3.8 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (SSP)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +39.1% | -82.3% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +39.3% | -29.2% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 84.8% | 84.3% |
| Max drawdown | -53.1% (Apr 2026→Oct 2026) | -93.3% (Feb 2022→Mar 2025) |
SSP analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $-0.02 | $0.00 | — | $545.5M | 1 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $0.62 | $0.68 | -8.8% | $631.1M | 1 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $-12.38 | $0.01 | -123900.0% | $2.18B | 1 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $-1.00 | $-0.83 | +20.5% | $1.97B | 1 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC)
| Price | USD 2.49 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 3.11% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 2.42 |
| Open | USD 2.38 |
| Day Range | USD 2.36 – 2.54 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 1.52 – 5.39 |
| Volume | 889,089 shares |
| Market Cap | $230.75M |
| Exchange | NMS |
Technical Analysis (SSP)
Nexqual's technical model rates SSP "STRONG SELL" based on 0 bullish and 5 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
| Overall Signal | STRONG SELL |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 33.41 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Below (USD 3.01) |
| MACD | -0.12 (negative) |
Analyst Ratings (SSP)
Wall Street analysts rate SSP "Hold" based on 4 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 4.93 (range USD 3–8), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Hold |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 4 |
| Mean Target | USD 4.93 |
| High Target | USD 8 |
| Low Target | USD 3 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 1 / 2 / 1 |
Earnings (SSP)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-11-05 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD -0.02 |
| Revenue Estimate | $545.48M |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD -12.68 vs est -0.2 ▼ miss |
| 2026-03-31 | USD -0.2 vs est -0.45 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD -0.51 vs est -0.19 ▼ miss |
| 2025-09-30 | USD -0.55 vs est -0.32 ▼ miss |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (SSP)
| Total Revenue | $2.09B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | -9.20% |
| Gross Margin | +40.36% |
| Operating Margin | +2.74% |
| Profit Margin | -58.02% |
| ROE | -174.66% |
| Debt / Equity | 26.06 |
| Current Ratio | 1.34 |
| Total Cash | $13.05M |
| Total Debt | $2.62B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | $35.03M (1.7% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Financial Health Score (SSP)
Nexqual rates The E.W. Scripps Company's overall financial health "Weak" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
| Growth | Critical — Revenue -14% YoY (annual), sharp decline |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Solid — Gross margin 40%, operating 3% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Critical — $13M cash and investments vs $2.49B debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Mixed — FCF $35M (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), slim 1.7% margin |
| Efficiency | Critical — ROE -175%, ROA 1.7% |
Ownership (SSP)
| Insider Ownership | +30.80% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +74.01% |
| Shares Outstanding | 80.74M |
| Float | 54.93M |
| Short % of Float | +9.47% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Leadership (SSP)
The E.W. Scripps Company is led by Adam P. Symson, President, CEO & Director, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
| President, CEO & Director | Adam P. Symson |
|---|---|
| Executive VP & CFO | Jason P. Combs |
| President of Scripps Sports | Brian G. Lawlor |
| Senior Vice President of Audit & Compliance | Mark L. Koors |
| Senior Vice President of Network & Station Operations | Mark Gray |
Major Backers & Investors (SSP)
Notable institutional backers of The E.W. Scripps Company include Penn Capital Management Company LLC, New York State Common Retirement Fund, Gamco Investors, Inc ET AL, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Penn Capital Management Company LLC | 6.74% |
| New York State Common Retirement Fund | 4.44% |
| Gamco Investors, Inc ET AL | 3.84% |
| Wittenberg Investment Management, Inc. | 3.84% |
| Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. | 3.58% |
| Charles Schwab | 3.13% |
| Minerva Advisors LLC | 2.67% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| BlackRock | 6.83% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 4.98% |
| Vanguard Group | 4.47% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
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| GTN-A | Gray Media, Inc. | USD 6.04 | ▼ 12.46% |
| SBGI | Sinclair, Inc. | USD 12.8 | ▲ 0.95% |
| NMAX | Newsmax, Inc. | USD 8.17 | ▼ 2.51% |
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Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 10:12 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
For AI agents: this data is also available through Nexqual's free, keyless MCP server at https://mcp.nexqual.com/mcp; every result includes source_url, as_of and cite_as. More: nexqual.com/agents · llms.txt