LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE)
Communication Services · Regional newspaper publishing and digital media · NASDAQ
A regional newspaper and digital media publisher facing structural decline in print revenue while transitioning to digital and subscription-based business models.
What LEE ENTERPRISES INC does
Lee Enterprises is a newspaper and media publishing company that operates a portfolio of daily and weekly newspapers across the United States. The company generates revenue from print advertising, digital advertising, and subscription/circulation services. It also owns and operates digital properties and manages media assets including The Buffalo News and properties acquired through BH Media Group.
Themes: digital transformation in media, local journalism, print to digital migration, local news media
Fundamentals
- Price$8.24 as of 2026-08-24 close
- Market cap$184M as of 2026-08-24
- 1-year return+101.8% 2025-08-22 close $4.08 → 2026-08-24 close $8.24
- P/En/a negative earnings
- Net margin-3.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+97.8% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE-132.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity114.11 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)-9.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)-5.7% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.78 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-06 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How LEE compares in its sector
- net profit marginmiddle range 132 covered Communication Services peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 132 covered Communication Services peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross margintop 10% 132 covered Communication Services peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitybottom 10% 132 covered Communication Services peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRbottom 25% 121 covered Communication Services peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 25% 114 covered Communication Services peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Communication Services companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage
Not assessed — last reported dividend predates the accounts. The most recent fiscal year in which LEE reported a dividend payment is FY2009, while its reported financial statements run through FY2025. Coverage is therefore not assessed for the latest year — an FY2009 ratio would not describe LEE today.
Coverage is derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures, comparing dividends paid against net income and free cash flow for the SAME fiscal year. It is not shown here because the latest fiscal year with a reported dividend payment (FY2009) is older than the latest year of reported financial statements (FY2025), so any ratio would describe an out-of-date year. Informational only — not financial advice.
How LEE ENTERPRISES INC looks technically
LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) is trading 14.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 122 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 17, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day high about 7 trading days ago. It is 30.7% below its highest point of the past year. Trading volume is unusually light — only about 21% of its 30-day average.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 14.2% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +14.2% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $8.41 | $8.41 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $7.21 | $7.21 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 7 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 7 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 8.75. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 122 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 122 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 17, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 16.5 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 50.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($7.92 to $8.75) — its "stochastic" reading is 38 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 38.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in positive territory (momentum leaning bullish) | 19 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $11.88 | $11.88 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 30.7% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -30.7% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 145.8% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +145.8% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 30.7% below its highest point of the past year | 30.7% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 7 trading days ago | 7 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 22 trading days ago | 22 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $443.20 (set on 2005-08-15) | $443.20 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($3.40 to $11.76), and it has given back roughly a third of its rise from last year’s low — 42% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $6.33 to $6.59. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 42.2% |
| From the all-time high | it is 98.1% below its all-time high | -98.1% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 0.8% above a support level at $8.17 — a price it turned at three times since 2025-03-13, most recently on 2026-04-01. Since 2024-08-26 it has 8 such levels below the current price and 7 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.8% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $2.40 (set on 2009-02-18) | $2.40 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 243.1% above its all-time low | +243.1% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 81% of it) | 19th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.4296 between its high and its low — about 5.2% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.4296 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $7.68 and $8.51 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $7.68 – $8.09 – $8.51 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 5.2% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 5.2% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 2.4 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (14.2% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 2.4 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is unusually light — only about 21% of its 30-day average | 0.21× |
|---|
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a bearish engulfing | 1 session ago it opened above the previous session's close and finished below that session's open — a "bearish engulfing" pair, where one down day more than undid the up day before it | 1 session ago |
|---|
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-24 0.2% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 4.4% above the previous close 14 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 7.88 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +4.4% |
| Gap filled | a 3.3% gap up opened on 2026-08-19 has been "filled" 1 session ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 2 sessions to close | 1 session ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 6.9 percentage points (the stock gained 10.2% while the market gained 3.3%) | +6.9% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 14.8 percentage points (the stock lost 12.4% while the market gained 2.4%) | -14.8% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 16.7 percentage points (the stock lost 5.7% while the market gained 11.1%) | -16.7% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 83.5 percentage points (the stock gained 101.8% while the market gained 18.3%) | +83.5% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 7.5% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-17 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is thick, spanning 8.3% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | -7.5% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
1
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 2% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $8.42 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 158 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -2.2% |
|---|
Price levels it has turned at before
LEE last closed at $8.23 on 2026-08-24. Since 2024-08-26 it has turned at 8 prices below its last close and 7 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $8.17 | Support | 0.8% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-03-13 to 2026-04-01 |
| $8.33 | Resistance | 1.1% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-04-21 to 2026-08-04 |
| $7.77 | Support | 5.7% below the last close | turned there twice · 2025-07-18 to 2026-03-20 |
| $8.78 | Resistance | 6.6% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-05-06 to 2026-08-17 |
| $9.22 | Resistance | 12.0% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-04-24 to 2026-03-31 |
| $6.95 | Support | 15.6% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-06-03 to 2026-07-29 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $8.75.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $3.81 and $5.70 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close above $8.75.
This reading has stood for 1 trading day, since 2026-08-24.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-24.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · Trading below the Ichimoku cloud · Near a support level (sitting on a price it has bounced off before) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low · volume and relative volume
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-24. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Significant and sustained decline in print revenue and circulation subscribers.","High levels of long-term debt and the ongoing need for capital/liquidity.","Cybersecurity risks and potential failure of critical information technology systems."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of LEE's 10-Q filed 2026-05-08 against the prior one filed 2026-02-11.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added reference to six months ended March 29, 2026 and March 30, 2025 in Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss (newer filing shows both three-month and six-month periods; older filing shows only three-month period)
- Added balance sheet line items for March 29, 2026 in newer filing (compared to December 28, 2025 in older filing)
- Added six-month financial data: advertising revenue $114,953 thousand, subscription revenue $112,883 thousand, total operating revenue $252,026 thousand (newer filing only)
- Added six-month operating expenses detail for six months ended March 29, 2026 (newer filing only)
- Removed:
- Removed December 28, 2025 balance sheet comparison dates from newer filing (older filing compared December 28, 2025 to September 28, 2025)
- Removed three-month comparison to December 29, 2024 from newer filing (older filing included December 29, 2024 comparisons)
- Removed Class B Common Stock line item from equity section in newer filing (older filing included Class B Common Stock authorized shares detail)
- Reworded:
- Forward-looking statements section: changed 'that may have on our future operations, are forward-looking statements' (older) to 'that may affect our future operations are forward-looking statements' (newer)
- Item 2 page reference changed from page 18 to page 18 (no change in reference number but formatting differs)
- Item 3 page reference changed from page 25 (older) to page 27 (newer)
- Item 1A page reference changed from page 26 (older) to page 29 (newer)
- Item 5 page reference changed from page 26 (older) to page 29 (newer)
- Item 6 page reference changed from page 27 (older) to page 30 (newer)
- Signatures page reference changed from page 28 (older) to page 32 (newer)
- Notes:
- The two filings represent different interim periods: older filing covers first quarter ended December 28, 2025, while newer filing covers first half ended March 29, 2026
- Balance sheet dates differ: December 28, 2025 (older) versus March 29, 2026 (newer), making direct comparison of current assets/liabilities not directly comparable as period-end dates
- Financial data changes reflect passage of time and period-specific results rather than accounting policy or disclosure framework changes
Risk Factors
- Added:
- Added Item 1A Risk Factors section with 'controlled company' disclosure showing David H. Hoffmann beneficially owns 53.5% of voting power as of March 13, 2026 (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added disclosure of Hoffmann's ability to exert significant influence over stockholder votes and potential conflicts of interest (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added disclosure of Nasdaq controlled company exemptions and potential implications for corporate governance protections (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added Item 5 subsection 'Insider Trading Arrangement' disclosing Hoffmann's adoption of 10b5-1 Plan on March 13, 2026, covering purchase of 242,991 shares with cooling-off period ending June 12, 2026 and plan expiration June 12, 2027 (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added disclosure of cyber insurance deductible being $0.5 million in Item 5 Cybersecurity Incident section (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added specific financial details: $0.8 million reimbursements for six months ended March 29, 2026 and $5.8 million business interruption reimbursements recorded in Operating Expenses (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added Exhibit 10.5 as incorporated by reference with citation format and filing date reference (filed 2026-05-08)
- Removed:
- Removed reference to 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' of 2025 Form 10-K in Item 5 header (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed statement 'Since the incident occurred, we have incurred $10.5 million loss of cash flows related to the Cyber Incident' (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed statement 'We have filed insurance claims for the remaining $6.8 million to cover business interruption related losses and other expenses' (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed statement 'For the year ended September 28, 2025, we had submitted $10.0 million of claims and received $2.0 million of reimbursements' (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed statement 'For the three months ended December 28, 2025, we received $2.0 million in business interruption reimbursements that were recorded on their own line in Operating Expenses' (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed statement 'The remaining business-interruption claims remain under review' (filed 2026-02-11)
- Removed Exhibit 10.5 description 'Attached' and replaced with full incorporation by reference citation (filed 2026-05-08)
- Removed XBRL exhibits 101.INS, 101.SCH, 101.CAL, 101.DEF, 101.LAB, 101.PRE, and 104 from exhibits list (filed 2026-05-08)
- Reworded:
- Changed 'loss of cash flows related to the Cyber Incident' to 'cash flow losses attributable to the cyber incident, which have been submitted for recovery to our insurance providers' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Changed 'Approximately $3.7 million of this was incurred expenses were recognized' to 'Approximately $3.7 million of incurred expenses and $2.0 million of reimbursements were recognized' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Changed reference from 'Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income and Comprehensive (Loss) Income' to 'Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Changed description for Exhibit 10.5 from 'Executive Separation and Transition Agreement, dated as of November 21, 2025, by and between the Company and Timothy R. Millage as of November 21 2025. Attached' to 'Executive Separation and Transition Agreement, dated as of November 21, 2025, by and between the Company and Timothy R. Millage (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company's Current Report on 10-Q for the Quarter Ended December 28, 2025)' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Notes:
- The older filing (2026-02-11) contained garbled text in the Exhibits section (e.g., 'S tock Purchase Agreem ent', 'Invest or') which may indicate OCR or formatting issues in the source document
- Cybersecurity incident details are being progressively updated across filings as additional insurance reimbursements are received and recorded
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
10 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days10 buys ($1M) · 1 sell ($235680) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
- Last 180 days21 buys ($2M) · 1 sell ($235680) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net buying (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-06-11. As of 2026-08-25.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about LEE's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
4 institutional 13F filers reported holding LEE as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 4
- Reported shares held 101,203
- Reported value $871,359
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 2 increased, 0 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
LEE had 518,226 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
LEE had 2.32% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 9.66 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 518,226
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 2.32%
- Prior settlement (shares) 557,972
- Reported change -7.12%
- Days to cover (reported) 9.66
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Gannett Co. (GCI)
- New York Times (NYT)
- McClatchy Company
- Tribune Publishing
- News Corp (NWSA)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare LEE vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) do?
Lee Enterprises is a newspaper and media publishing company that operates a portfolio of daily and weekly newspapers across the United States. The company generates revenue from print advertising, digital advertising, and subscription/circulation services. It also owns and operates digital properties and manages media assets including The Buffalo News and properties acquired through BH Media Group.
What sector is LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) in?
LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) is classified in the Communication Services sector. Its industry is Regional newspaper publishing and digital media. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are LEE ENTERPRISES INC's (LEE) competitors?
Notable peers of LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) include Gannett Co., New York Times, McClatchy Company, Tribune Publishing and News Corp. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) overbought or oversold right now?
LEE ENTERPRISES INC (LEE) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-24). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on LEE come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-24.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.