E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.27 EPS

E.W. Scripps (NASDAQ:SSP) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.27, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $544.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $545.47 million. E.W. Scripps had a negative return on equity of 4.58% and a negative net margin of 58.02%.

Here are the key takeaways from E.W. Scripps’ conference call:

• Political advertising set a record: Scripps reported $284 million in 2026 political revenue, 44% above the 2022 midterm record. The company expects to use at least $150 million in fourth-quarter cash to pay down debt, prioritizing its 2028 term loan maturity.
• Scripps is targeting $125 million to $150 million in bottom-line improvement from its transformation plan, with $100 million of run-rate savings expected by year-end. The restructuring has affected about 20% of employees, and management said savings will increasingly flow through results in 2027 and 2028.
• Scripps Networks remained under pressure: third-quarter revenue fell 11%, and the company expects a high-single-digit decline in the fourth quarter, citing a soft direct-response advertising market and consumer weakness.
• Connected-TV revenue at Scripps Networks grew 37% in the quarter, with full-year revenue expected to reach at least $155 million, up 36% from 2025. Management also reported stronger measured ratings after Nielsen’s methodology change and premium demand for women’s sports inventory.
• Management expects distribution revenue to rise about 4% in the fourth quarter and sees low-to-mid-single-digit gross growth and double-digit net growth in 2027, supported by contract renewals and slightly improved subscriber churn.

E.W. Scripps Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of SSP stock traded up $0.10 on Friday, reaching $3.05. 1,760,701 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 680,542. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.08. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $2.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $3.38. The company has a market capitalization of $282.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.22 and a beta of 0.71. E.W. Scripps has a twelve month low of $1.92 and a twelve month high of $5.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on SSP. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on E.W. Scripps from $4.70 to $3.80 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded E.W. Scripps from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of E.W. Scripps in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, E.W. Scripps currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.90.

About E.W. Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is an American media company that operates local television stations, national news services and digital media businesses. Its local media operations provide broadcast news, weather, sports and community programming, while its national offerings include Scripps News and Court TV.

Scripps distributes content through over-the-air television, digital platforms and streaming services. The company also operates ION, a national broadcast network known for entertainment programming, as well as other television and digital brands.