Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

Lee Enterprises Stock Down 2.0 %

NYSE LEE traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,187. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.09 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.47. Lee Enterprises has a twelve month low of $7.56 and a twelve month high of $15.89.

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lee Enterprises had a negative net margin of 1.88% and a negative return on equity of 59.37%. The firm had revenue of $155.68 million during the quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lee Enterprises

In related news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint bought 17,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.61 per share, with a total value of $265,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 763,000 shares in the company, valued at $11,910,430. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders purchased a total of 85,599 shares of company stock valued at $1,177,335 over the last ninety days. 11.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corsair Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Lee Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at about $128,000. Teton Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lee Enterprises by 27.7% in the third quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 6,500 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Lee Enterprises by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 11,500 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in Lee Enterprises by 17.8% during the third quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 73,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 11,200 shares during the period. Finally, Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Lee Enterprises by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 9,215 shares during the last quarter. 39.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lee Enterprises Company Profile

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated provides local news and information, and advertising services in the United States. The company offers digital subscription platforms; daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers and niche publications; and web hosting and content management services. It also provides advertising and marketing services, such as audience extension, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, web and mobile production, social media services, and reputation monitoring and management.