E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Major Shareholder Austin Heidt Buys 4,000 Shares

March 12, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

Major insider buying: Savannah Brickner bought 38,544 shares on March 9 at $4.43 (about $170,750) and added 27,682 shares on March 10 at $4.59, reflecting concentrated insider purchases and increased ownership.
Fundamentals remain a headwind: Scripps missed the quarter with EPS of ($0.06) versus $0.46 expected, has a negative net margin and high debt-to-equity (~3.1), and a market cap of roughly $371 million.
Mixed analyst outlook but potential upside: brokers show an average target of about $6.95 and Benchmark raised its target to $10, though the stock’s consensus rating is around "Reduce" and opinions vary.

E.W. Scripps Company (The) (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) major shareholder Austin Heidt bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.48 per share, for a total transaction of $17,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,920. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

E.W. Scripps Stock Performance

3 Value Stocks Flying Under the Radar—For Now

Shares of NASDAQ SSP traded down $0.00 during trading on Thursday, reaching $4.17. 360,546 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 577,006. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.22 million, a P/E ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 0.54. E.W. Scripps Company has a 52-week low of $1.90 and a 52-week high of $4.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $3.70 and a 200-day moving average of $3.40.

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.52). E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 0.27% and a negative net margin of 4.69%.The firm had revenue of $560.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $550.82 million. Analysts forecast that E.W. Scripps Company will post 1.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On E.W. Scripps

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Penn Capital Management Company LLC increased its stake in E.W. Scripps by 151.7% in the 3rd quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 3,599,606 shares of the company's stock worth $8,864,000 after acquiring an additional 2,169,640 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 142.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,318,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,705,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,721 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 886.8% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,280,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151,092 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of E.W. Scripps by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,722,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,842,000 after acquiring an additional 871,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of E.W. Scripps by 82.5% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 815,751 shares of the company's stock worth $3,255,000 after purchasing an additional 368,852 shares in the last quarter. 67.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about E.W. Scripps

Here are the key news stories impacting E.W. Scripps this week:

Positive Sentiment: Concentrated insider buying — Numerous major shareholders and directors increased positions (large buys from Margaret Scripps Klenzing, Corina S. Granado, Eaton M. Scripps, Samantha Brickner, Ellen Granado and others). Big, clustered insider purchases often signal owner confidence and can reduce perceived sell pressure. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Additional insider purchases widely reported — Multiple smaller insider buys (Elizabeth Scripps, Raymundo Granado Jr., Anthony Granado, Savannah Brickner, etc.) reinforce the buying narrative and may prompt momentum buying or short covering. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: New national programming deal — ION (a Scripps network) will air the first-ever nationally televised PWHL game in the U.S. on Mar. 28, which supports potential ad/affiliate revenue upside and national distribution for broadcast assets. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Analyst target suggests upside — Brokers’ average price target (~$6.95) is well above current levels, supporting a valuation story that can attract buyers if fundamentals improve. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and trading — Institutions hold a large share of stock (~68%), and recent filings show both purchases and portfolio reallocations; this can amplify moves but is not an immediate catalyst by itself.
Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data inconsistent — Reports in the feeds show 0 or NaN short interest; treat short‑data as unreliable until exchange‑confirmed, so short‑squeeze risk is unclear.
Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds — Scripps missed EPS expectations in its Feb. 25 quarter (reported ($0.06) vs. $0.46 expected) and carries high leverage (debt/equity ~3.1), which limits upside unless margins or cash flow visibly improve.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SSP has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of E.W. Scripps from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of E.W. Scripps from $3.00 to $3.90 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of E.W. Scripps from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $6.95.

View Our Latest Analysis on E.W. Scripps

E.W. Scripps Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The E.W. Scripps Company is a diversified U.S. media organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Established in 1878 by Edward Willis Scripps, the company began as a newspaper publisher before expanding into broadcast television, cable networks and digital journalism. Today, Scripps combines a legacy of local news reporting with a growing portfolio of national cable channels and digital platforms.

Scripps operates more than 60 television stations across over 40 markets, delivering local news, weather, sports and entertainment programming to communities in both large and mid-sized U.S.