The revenue miss and sharp EPS miss vs consensus are the primary negatives. The Networks division's 11% revenue decline and 27.8% profit decline are structural headwinds. Monitor Q2 guidance execution—if Networks revenue decline accelerates, the stock could face further pressure. The transformation plan and debt reduction from asset sales provide a floor, but near-term sentiment is bearish.
Price Chart
Executive Summary
E.W. Scripps reported Q1 2026 revenue of $517M, down 1.4% YoY, and a GAAP net loss of -$0.20 per share, significantly missing the consensus estimate of -$0.01. While Local Media segment revenue grew 5% YoY (driven by core advertising and political), the Scripps Networks segment revenue declined 11% YoY, and total company revenue fell short of the $556.7M consensus. The company guided for Q2 Local Media revenue up low single digits and Networks revenue down about 10%, signaling continued headwinds in the Networks division.
Key Financial Metrics
Key Facts
- Q1 2026 revenue $517M, down 1.4% YoY from $524M, missing $556.7M consensus
- GAAP EPS -$0.20, well below consensus of -$0.01 (a miss of -1900%)
- Local Media segment revenue up 5% to $342M; segment profit up 33.7% to $46.7M
- Scripps Networks revenue down 11% to $176M; segment profit down 27.8% to $46.3M
- Net leverage at 3.9x; total debt $2.6B; cash $84M
- Q2 guidance: Local Media revenue up low single digits, Networks revenue down about 10%
- Closed sales of WFTX and WRTV for $123M gross proceeds; purchased WTVQ for $15.8M
- Transformation plan targeting $125-$150M annualized EBITDA growth by 2028
Financial Impact
Revenue miss of ~$40M vs consensus; EPS miss of -$0.19 vs consensus; Networks segment profit decline of $17.8M YoY
Risk Factors
- Continued decline in Scripps Networks revenue and profit
- High debt load ($2.6B) with $133M in unpaid preferred dividends
- Guidance for Networks revenue down ~10% in Q2 suggests no near-term recovery
- Political revenue is lumpy and may not offset core advertising weakness
Market Snapshot
Investment Themes
Documents Analyzed
This report is based on 6 SEC documents filed with EDGAR.
| Document | Accession Number |
|---|---|
| 8-K Filing (Primary) | 0000832428-26-000021 |
| Document: ssp-20260507.htm | 0000832428-26-000021 |
| Document: 0000832428-26-000021-index-headers.html | 0000832428-26-000021 |
| Document: 0000832428-26-000021-index.html | 0000832428-26-000021 |
| Document: 0000832428-26-000021.txt | 0000832428-26-000021 |
| 8-K Data (Synthetic) | 0000832428-26-000021 |
Filters
| Type | Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 5, 2026 21d ago | SC 13G | $2.92 $2.84 | ▼ −2.74% | ▼ −2.60% | $2.03 (−30.65%) |
Aug 7, 2026 11w ago | 8-K | $3.32 $3.45 | ▼ −3.92% | ▼ −3.52% | $2.03 (+39.01%) |
Aug 1, 2026 12w ago | Press Release | $2.82 $3.33 | ▲ +18.09% | ▲ +16.06% | $2.03 (−28.19%) |
Jul 15, 2026 14w ago | Press Release | $3.09 $3.17 | ▲ +2.59% | ▲ +3.57% | $2.03 (−34.47%) |
Jul 13, 2026 15w ago | Press Release | $2.97 $3.10 | ▲ +4.38% | ▲ +5.16% | $2.03 (−31.82%) |
May 22, 2026 22w ago | Insider Cluster | $3.42 $3.44 | ▲ +0.58% | ▼ −0.63% | $2.03 (−40.79%) |
May 8, 2026 24w ago | 8-K | $4.54 $3.53 | ▲ +22.25% | ▲ +23.71% | $2.03 (+55.40%) |
May 6, 2026 24w ago | 8-K | $4.68 $3.48 | ▼ −25.64% | ▼ −27.15% | $2.03 (−56.73%) |
Apr 16, 2026 27w ago | Press Release | $4.78 $4.86 | ▲ +1.67% | ▲ +0.69% | $2.03 (−57.64%) |
Apr 14, 2026 27w ago | Press Release | $4.37 $4.93 | ▲ +12.81% | ▲ +11.42% | $2.03 (−53.66%) |
US Market Status
Subscribe to SecBot
Get Real-Time SEC Filing Intelligence
Comprehensive SEC filing analysis delivered the moment filings hit EDGAR. Sentiment scoring, impact analysis, and actionable insights for every material event.
Create a free account Live analysis, Telegram alerts, watchlists and the MCP server for subscribers