Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

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

Lee Enterprises Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of LEE stock traded down $0.25 on Friday, reaching $12.25. The company had a trading volume of 3,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,187. The stock has a market cap of $75.22 million, a PE ratio of -6.09 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.15 and a 200-day moving average of $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 12 month low of $7.56 and a 12 month high of $15.89.

Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) last issued its earnings results 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 1.88% and a negative return on equity of 59.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lee Enterprises news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint bought 17,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.61 per share, with a total value of $265,370.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 763,000 shares in the company, valued at $11,910,430. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 85,599 shares of company stock valued at $1,177,335. 11.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LEE. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Lee Enterprises by 8.2% during the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 46,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $493,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 6,500 shares in the last quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lee Enterprises by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Wittenberg Investment Management Inc. now owns 122,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 9,215 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 11,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Lee Enterprises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $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.