Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday.

Lee Enterprises Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE LEE traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $12.25. The stock had a trading volume of 3,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,363. The firm has a market cap of $75.25 million, a P/E ratio of -12.76 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.47, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.41. Lee Enterprises has a 1 year low of $7.56 and a 1 year high of $15.89.

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $155.68 million during the quarter. Lee Enterprises had a negative net margin of 0.86% and a negative return on equity of 30.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lee Enterprises news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint bought 46,500 shares of Lee Enterprises stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.92 per share, with a total value of $600,780.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 704,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,095,680. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 85,599 shares of company stock worth $1,177,335. 11.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lee Enterprises

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 9,215 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of Lee Enterprises by 17.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lee Enterprises by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 57,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the period. Teton Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lee Enterprises by 27.7% during the third quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. now owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 6,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Lee Enterprises in the fourth quarter worth $128,000. 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.