SSP stock forecast, quote, news & analysis

Key Takeaways

• SSP shares declined roughly 25% over the last 30 days, falling from about $2.69 to near $2.01.
• The slide extends a longer downtrend, with the stock down roughly 35% over the past quarter.
• Selling pressure reflects elevated leverage (about $2.2 billion in net debt), a roughly $1.1 billion goodwill impairment, and a soft national advertising environment.
• Nielsen measurement methodology changes have weighed on Scripps Networks audience delivery and revenue.
• Management raised its 2026 political advertising forecast to about $275 million while completing roughly 850 job cuts under its transformation plan.
• Third-quarter 2026 results are scheduled for release after the market close on Nov. 5, a key near-term catalyst.
• For additional detail, explore Scripps' Price Targets, Earnings, and Forecast pages.
• Explore Trending AI Robots to see how automated strategies are trading this and other tickers.

E.W. Scripps (SSP) Company Overview and Market Position

The E.W. Scripps Company is a Cincinnati-based diversified media enterprise and one of the nation's largest local television broadcasters, operating a portfolio of about 60 stations across 40 markets. Its Local Media segment generates revenue primarily from advertising and retransmission fees, while its Scripps Networks division reaches nearly every U.S. television home through national brands including ION, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, ION Plus, and Laff, as well as the streaming news service Scripps News.

Founded in 1878, Scripps is one of the country's largest holders of broadcast spectrum and also operates Scripps Sports, which distributes professional and college sports programming. Investors follow SSP closely because its results are highly sensitive to cyclical advertising spending, distribution-fee negotiations, and the company's ongoing efforts to reduce a sizable debt load while executing a multi-year cost-transformation program.

E.W. Scripps (SSP) Stock Price Performance: Last 30 Days vs. Quarter

Over the last 30 days, SSP fell approximately 25%, declining from around $2.69 to near $2.01. The move was not a single-day event; shares drifted lower through September before accelerating downward in late October, with the steepest declines concentrated in the final trading sessions of the period.

The quarterly picture is similarly weak. Measured from the end of July, when shares traded near $3.08, the stock has dropped roughly 35%. This reflects a sustained re-rating rather than a brief volatility spike, as investors have progressively discounted the company's equity against a backdrop of high leverage and soft national advertising demand.

What Drove SSP Stock Price in the Last 30 Days

The recent decline reflects a combination of company-specific and sector-wide pressures. Scripps carries a heavy debt load of about $2.2 billion in net debt, and its common equity remains structurally constrained by an outstanding preferred investment held by Berkshire Hathaway that restricts common dividends and buybacks until the preferred shares are redeemed. That capital-structure overhang has made the stock vulnerable to downward pressure as the broader media and broadcasting sector has de-rated.

Operationally, the company's networks business has been pressured by softer direct response and national advertising demand, compounded by Nielsen audience-measurement changes that reduced reported impressions for over-the-air and streaming audiences. Separately, a roughly $1.1 billion goodwill impairment in the Local Media reporting unit, disclosed with second-quarter results, underscored the declining fair value of the company's legacy broadcast assets.

In late October, Scripps announced it had completed 431 additional workforce reductions, bringing 2026 job cuts to roughly 850 employees, while simultaneously raising its full-year political advertising forecast to about $275 million. The cost-cutting signals progress on the transformation plan, but the near-term dilution to the company's equity value continued to weigh on investor sentiment into month-end.

What Drove SSP Stock Performance Over the Last Quarter

Over the past three months, the dominant narrative has been Scripps' effort to stabilize a leveraged balance sheet in a secularly challenged broadcast industry. Asset sales, including the divestitures of the WFTX station in Fort Myers and WRTV in Indianapolis, generated proceeds used to reduce debt, while management extended a portion of its revolving credit facility to 2029 to preserve liquidity.

At the same time, revenue trends have been mixed. Local Media has benefited from live sports advertising and a building midterm political cycle, but Scripps Networks has lagged as measurement changes and macroeconomic uncertainty pressured national ad spending. The second-quarter goodwill impairment highlighted investor concerns about the long-term value of traditional television assets, contributing to the stock's steady decline through the summer and into autumn.

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SSP Stock Forecast Drivers: What Investors Should Watch Next

Looking ahead, the most important catalyst is Scripps' third-quarter 2026 earnings report, scheduled for Nov. 5, which will detail political advertising revenue, distribution-fee trends, and progress on the transformation plan. Investors will also monitor whether the company achieves its stated goal of paying down at least $150 million of debt in the fourth quarter, a key milestone for improving its leverage profile.

Additional factors to watch include the pace of recovery in national and direct response advertising, any further Nielsen measurement adjustments, carriage negotiations with distributors, and the company's continued execution of station sales and acquisitions. Sports rights agreements and connected TV growth remain strategic priorities, while the broader path of interest rates and consumer spending will influence advertising demand across Scripps' local and national platforms.

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