Lee Enterprises (NYSE:LEE) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:LEE) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.56 and traded as high as $8.95. Lee Enterprises shares last traded at $8.76, with a volume of 43,674 shares changing hands.

Lee Enterprises Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $194.82 million, a P/E ratio of -1.20 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 69.34, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Insider Transactions at Lee Enterprises

In related news, major shareholder Digital Ltd Quint bought 10,000 shares of Lee Enterprises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.13 per share, with a total value of $91,300.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 3,244,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,625,024. This represents a 0.31% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brent Magid sold 26,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.08, for a total transaction of $243,380.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,540.80. This trade represents a 75.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 2,646,809 shares of company stock worth $9,694,014. 54.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lee Enterprises

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in Lee Enterprises by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 601,454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,881,000 after purchasing an additional 115,779 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Lee Enterprises by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 226,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 19,700 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Lee Enterprises by 15,715.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 29,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 28,917 shares during the period. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in Lee Enterprises during the 4th quarter worth $99,000. Finally, Teton Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lee Enterprises by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Teton Advisors LLC now owns 17,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.20% of the company’s stock.

Lee Enterprises Company Profile

Lee Enterprises, Inc is a publicly traded media company based in Davenport, Iowa, with a heritage dating back to 1890 when Alfred W. Lee acquired the Davenport Times-Democrat. Over the decades, the company has grown through acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest regional news publishers in the United States. Lee Enterprises’ shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LEE.

The company’s principal activities center on the production and distribution of local journalism across print and digital channels.