StockNews.com Upgrades Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) to “Strong-Buy”

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Lee Enterprises Price Performance

NYSE:LEE opened at $12.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.53. Lee Enterprises has a 52-week low of $7.56 and a 52-week high of $15.89. The firm has a market cap of $74.15 million, a P/E ratio of -6.00 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.05.

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported ($2.06) EPS for the quarter. Lee Enterprises had a negative return on equity of 67.53% and a negative net margin of 1.88%. The firm had revenue of $146.55 million during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lee Enterprises will post -1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint acquired 17,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $15.61 per share, with a total value of $265,370.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 763,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,910,430. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lee Enterprises

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in Lee Enterprises by 94.8% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 149,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 72,600 shares in the last quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lee Enterprises by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after buying an additional 9,215 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in Lee Enterprises by 92.2% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 110,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,474,000 after buying an additional 53,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Lee Enterprises during the 4th quarter valued at $128,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.20% of the company’s stock.

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.