E. W. Scripps Company Class A (SSP)
NASDAQ:SSP
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E. W. Scripps Company Class A
(NASDAQ:SSP)
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Rating:52Neutral
Price Target:
$4.00
▲(15.61% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:03/06/26
The score is held back primarily by weak and highly volatile financial performance (return to losses, margin compression, and a sharp drop in free cash flow), despite improved leverage. Technicals are a meaningful positive with strong trend/momentum, while valuation is constrained by negative earnings. Earnings-call commentary is moderately supportive due to specific EBITDA improvement targets and accretive actions, but high leverage and cyclical revenue risk remain key overhangs.
Positive Factors
Explicit EBITDA transformation plan
Management provided a detailed, multi‑year transformation with clear, quantifiable EBITDA targets ($125M–$150M by 2028) plus phased near‑term benefits. Clear targets and a mix of cost, automation and revenue initiatives increase accountability and make operational improvement measurable and durable if execution continues.
Negative Factors
Volatile profitability and cash generation
The company has shown large swings in revenue, margins and FCF, including a severe FCF decline in 2025. Such volatility undermines the predictability of funding for capex, debt reduction and transformation investments, making execution riskier and reducing the reliability of cash flows over a multi‑quarter horizon.
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Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Explicit EBITDA transformation plan
Management provided a detailed, multi‑year transformation with clear, quantifiable EBITDA targets ($125M–$150M by 2028) plus phased near‑term benefits. Clear targets and a mix of cost, automation and revenue initiatives increase accountability and make operational improvement measurable and durable if execution continues.
Read all positive factors
E. W. Scripps Company Class A (SSP) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$308.04M
Dividend YieldN/A
Average Volume (3M)1.37M
Price to Earnings (P/E)―
Beta (1Y)-0.20
Revenue Growth-3.27%
EPS Growth86.01%
CountryUS
Employees5,000
SectorCommunication Services
Sector Strength97
IndustryBroadcasting
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)-0.51
Shares Outstanding77,096,120
10 Day Avg. Volume2,338,594
30 Day Avg. Volume1,371,311
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio0.01
Price to Book (P/B)0.28
Price to Sales (P/S)0.16
P/FCF Ratio53.84
Enterprise Value/Market Cap10.10
Enterprise Value/Revenue1.45
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit4.29
Enterprise Value/Ebitda14.17
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$7.97Price Target Upside130.35% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering3
EPS Forecast (FY)0.39
Revenue Forecast (FY)$2.30B
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
The E.W. Scripps Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a media enterprise through a portfolio of local and national media brands. The company operates through Local Media, Scripps Network, and Other segments. The Local Media segment...
How the Company Makes Money
Scripps primarily makes money by selling advertising and related services across its television and audio platforms. The largest revenue streams generally include: (1) Local broadcast advertising: selling ad inventory on its local TV stations duri...
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Feb 25, 2026
(Q4-2025)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 01, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call presented a broadly positive strategic and operational picture: management highlighted sustained outperformance, strong core advertising growth (Local Media core +12% in Q4), rapid connected-TV/streaming expansion (+~10% Q4, +30% full year), meaningful margin improvement (nearly 700 bps at Scripps Networks), and a detailed transformation plan targeting $125M–$150M of EBITDA improvement by 2028 with earlier-year impacts. Offsetting these positives are pronounced near-term headwinds tied to election-cycle revenue volatility (Local Media segment profit down ~75% vs. prior political quarter), a Q4 GAAP EPS loss driven by nonrecurring charges, elevated net leverage (4.8x) and modest cash on hand, and some guidance showing networks revenue down in Q1. On balance, the call emphasized durable growth drivers (sports, CTV/streaming, accretive M&A) and a credible plan to improve profitability and the balance sheet, with management projecting meaningful leverage improvement and accretion from recent transactions.Positive Updates
Consistent Outperformance
Fourth consecutive quarter of results that met or exceeded expectations across nearly every reporting line; management cites strong sales execution and disciplined expense management.
Negative Updates
Significant Local Media Profit Decline Due to Political Absence
Local Media segment profit fell to $50M in Q4 from $199M in the prior-year political quarter — a decline of approximately 75% (driven by the absence of political advertising revenue), highlighting material cyclicality and dependence on election cycles.
Read all updates
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive
Negative
Consistent Outperformance
Fourth consecutive quarter of results that met or exceeded expectations across nearly every reporting line; management cites strong sales execution and disciplined expense management.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management reiterated an aggressive financial plan and specific near‑term guidance: an enterprise EBITDA target of $125–$150 million by 2028 (with an in‑year 2026 benefit of $20–$30 million and an expected annualized run‑rate of $60–$75 million entering 2027). For Q1, Local Media revenue is expected to be up low‑ to mid‑single digits (core advertising up mid‑single digits), with Local Media expenses up low single digits (but down ex‑Lightning); Scripps Networks revenue is guided down high‑single digits with expenses down low single digits, and corporate shared services/corporate is expected at about $27 million. Full‑year 2026 below‑the‑line guidance includes cash interest of $180–$190 million, cash taxes $15–$20 million, CapEx $60–$70 million, depreciation & amortization $140–$150 million and a minimum $4.5 million pension contribution. Key Q4 anchors and balance‑sheet context: Local Media Q4 revenue was $360 million (down 30% y/y due to no political; core +12%), Local Media segment profit $50 million (vs. $199M prior‑cycle), Scripps Networks Q4 revenue $199 million (down <8%), CTV +~10% in Q4 and +30% for the year, Scripps Networks segment profit $64 million (32% margin), Other loss $8 million, Q4 EPS loss $0.51 (including $19.5M held‑for‑sale charge, $2.4M restructuring, $2.4M debt extinguishment adding ~$0.20 to the loss and a $0.18 EPS headwind from the preferred dividend). They closed the Court TV sale (immediately accretive), expect to reacquire 23 ION stations for about $54 million (also immediately accretive), have $28 million cash, $2.3 billion net debt, paid $55 million on the B2 term loan, and reported 4.8x net leverage at year‑end with an expectation of a meaningful leverage reduction by year‑end 2026.E. W. Scripps Company Class A Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
35
Negative
Balance Sheet
42
Neutral
Cash Flow
38
Negative
| Breakdown | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | |||||
| Total Revenue | 2.15B | 2.51B | 2.29B | 2.45B | 2.28B |
| Gross Profit | 725.24M | 1.19B | 1.01B | 1.22B | 1.18B |
| EBITDA | -49.37M | 575.55M | -598.89M | 598.03M | 514.17M |
| Net Income | -100.88M | 146.22M | -947.78M | 195.90M | 122.71M |
Balance Sheet | |||||
| Total Assets | 5.01B | 5.20B | 5.41B | 6.43B | 6.66B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 27.92M | 23.85M | 35.32M | 18.03M | 66.22M |
| Total Debt | 2.73B | 2.69B | 3.05B | 3.01B | 3.26B |
| Total Liabilities | 3.76B | 3.88B | 4.25B | 4.30B | 4.69B |
| Stockholders Equity | 1.25B | 1.32B | 1.16B | 2.13B | 1.97B |
Cash Flow | |||||
| Free Cash Flow | 6.52M | 300.42M | 51.98M | 265.63M | 175.83M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 53.10M | 365.68M | 111.60M | 311.42M | 237.00M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -12.13M | -26.54M | -60.61M | -66.39M | -2.46B |
| Financing Cash Flow | -36.90M | -350.61M | -33.71M | -327.48M | 693.48M |
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Technical Analysis
Negative
3.46
Price Trends
3.68
Negative
3.75
Negative
3.32
Positive
Market Momentum
-0.07
Positive
43.32
Neutral
20.52
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For SSP, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 3.46 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 3.91, below the 50-day MA of 3.68, and above the 200-day MA of 3.32, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.07 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 43.32 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 20.52 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for SSP.
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Risk Analysis
E. W. Scripps Company Class A disclosed 19 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. E. W. Scripps Company Class A reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 1 New Risks
1.
We are subject to risks related to our use of Artificial Intelligence ("AI"), a new and emerging technology, which is in the early stages of commercial use. Q4, 2025
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (60)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
60 Neutral | $48.67B | 4.58 | -11.27% | 4.14% | 2.83% | -41.78% | |
58 Neutral | $574.74M | -5.52 | -3.00% | 6.45% | -3.32% | -69.63% | |
55 Neutral | $286.01M | -3.41 | -98.27% | 6.56% | -45.95% | -75.87% | |
52 Neutral | $308.04M | -3.48 | 1.81% | ― | -3.27% | 86.01% | |
52 Neutral | $77.21M | -8.92 | 0.18% | 8.81% | -0.77% | -93.46% | |
48 Neutral | $402.30M | -1.37 | 27.00% | ― | 1.39% | 61.75% | |
40 Underperform | $6.24M | -0.67 | -5.86% | ― | -7.78% | -369.53% |
* Communication Services Sector Average
SSP
E. W. Scripps Company Class A
3.46
0.21
6.46%
BBGI
Beasley Broadcast Group
3.46
-2.39
-40.85%
EVC
Entravision
3.13
1.18
60.93%
GTN
Gray Television
4.81
0.31
6.87%
SGA
Saga Communications
11.96
0.36
3.13%
IHRT
iHeartMedia
2.73
0.90
49.18%
E. W. Scripps Company Class A Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board ChangesFinancial DisclosuresM&A Transactions
Scripps Extends CEO Contract Amid Transformation and Expansion
Neutral
Feb 26, 2026
On Feb. 24, 2026, Scripps signed a new employment agreement with President and CEO Adam Symson running initially through Dec. 31, 2029, featuring higher guaranteed pay, a large one-time $10 million performance-based cash award tied to enterprise E...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
E.W. Scripps Prepares Board Slate Ahead of 2026 Meeting
Neutral
Feb 6, 2026
Ahead of its 2026 annual meeting of shareholders, The E.W. Scripps Company has been informed by the Scripps Family Agreement signatories that current directors Charles Barmonde, Monica Holcomb and Raymundo H. Granado Jr. are expected to stand for ...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.