Lee Enterprises Incorporated (LEE) carries a Roarable Rating of D- (Sell) with 36/100 RQD Confidence due to weak cash-flow efficiency and sensitivity to current interest rates. Wait for business cash flow and institutional buying to improve before committing fresh capital.
Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer
Altman Z-Score 3.80 (FORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)) • Piotroski F-Score 1/9
SEC XBRL FY 2025 (10-K): 0% FCF Margin ($0 FCF) & 52% Gross Margin
Dilution Drag (+2.48% YoY Shares) & executive Form 4 sales trim 16 pts from alignment
While LEE currently carries a cautious 36/100 (D-) rating due to Insider Conviction & Share Dilution (4/20), shorts face asymmetric squeeze risk if free cash flow inflects or management executes accretive buybacks.
Established market leader in Consumer Discretionary with deep daily trading liquidity.
Options & Short-Covering Gamma: Reclaiming the 50-day SMA ($7.21) and Max Pain ($6.53) forces dealer call-delta covering toward $12.47.
Forensic Repair Trigger: Halting share dilution (Dilution Drag (+2.48% YoY Shares)) or retiring high-cost debt immediately upgrades the SEC 10-K Forensic pillar.
Lee Enterprises Incorporated (LEE) dropped -2.81% to $6.22, trading at 34% of its 52-week range ($3.34 – $11.88). Stretched risk/reward at current multiples (-1% return on capital) under elevated 10-year interest-rate pressure.
Hosted by award-winning filmmaker and entrepreneur Mike Smith, the program will premiere in December 2026; additional partnership opportunities are available.Lincoln, Nebraska, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GO FIND I
-SEC Filing
Agreement brings photography and video from Lee Enterprises’ newsrooms to Getty Images’ global customer baseNEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Getty Images (OTCPK:GETY), a preeminent global visual content creato
Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).
vs. +6.0% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).
No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on LEE today. View full Setup Ledger →
No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for LEE. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.
Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Lee Enterprises Incorporated (LEE) ranks #890 by composite RQD confidence (36/100, grade D-) and #733 by equity capitalization ($138.7M). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, DJCO leads on earnings valuation at 7.7x trailing P/E, while NYT leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 14.3% ROIC and — gross margin. NYT currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 72/100 (B) compared with LEE at 36/100 (D-).
| Ticker / Company | Roarable Grade | RQD Score | Trailing P/E | Gross Margin | ROIC | 1D Change | Market Cap | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE
ACTIVE
Lee Enterprises Incorporated | D- | 36/100 | — | — | -0.9% | -2.81% | $138.7M | Benchmark Subject |
| TGE The Generation Essentials Group (Class A) | C- | 59/100 | — | — | — | +1.00% | $25.2M | /tge-vs-lee → |
| DJCO Daily Journal Corp. (S.C.) | D+ | 57/100 | 7.7x | — | 2.1% | +2.62% | $866.3M | /djco-vs-lee → |
| TDAY USA TODAY Co. Inc. | D | 46/100 | — | 38.7% | 1.1% | -3.13% | $908.8M | /tday-vs-lee → |
| NYT New York Times Company | B | 72/100 | 32.4x | — | 14.3% | +0.35% | $11.14B | /nyt-vs-lee → |
In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-09-28), Lee Enterprises Incorporated (LEE) reported GAAP revenue of $0 (N/A vs. FY2024 revenue of $0 ) , GAAP net income of -$37.6M, operating cash flow of -$5.5M, and free cash flow of -$7.1M (+12.4% YoY). On the balance sheet, LEE closed FY2025 with $592.6M in total assets against $455.5M in total debt (Altman Z-Score: N/A, Piotroski F-Score: 1/9).
| Fiscal Period | Filing Date | Revenue | Net Income | Operating Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | Total Assets | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (FY) | 2025-09-28 | $0 | -$37.6M | -$5.5M | -$7.1M | $592.6M | $455.5M |
| FY2024 (FY) | 2024-09-29 | $0 | -$25.8M | $1.1M | -$8.1M | $633.0M | $445.9M |
| FY2023 (FY) | 2023-09-24 | $0 | -$5.3M | -$3.2M | -$3.2M | — | — |
As of 2026-11-01, Lee Enterprises Incorporated (NASDAQ: LEE) is rated D- (Sell / SELL) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 36/100 at a spot price of $6.22 (-2.81% 1D, market cap $138.7M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 9/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 6/20, Executive Insider Alignment 10/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 8/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 3/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, LEE ranks #890 in composite RQD confidence.
Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Newspapers/Magazines), LEE carries a Roarable D- (36/100 RQD), trailing P/E of N/A, gross margin of —, and ROIC of -0.9%. By comparison, TGE (The Generation Essentials Group (Class A)) holds a C- grade (59/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $25.2M) and DJCO (Daily Journal Corp. (S.C.)) posts a D+ grade (57/100 RQD, P/E 7.7x, ROIC 2.1%, cap $866.3M). Among the 5-stock peer group, DJCO leads on earnings multiple (7.7x) while NYT leads on capital efficiency (14.3% ROIC).
Per LEE's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-09-28, CIK 0000058361), Lee Enterprises Incorporated generated $0 in revenue, -$37.6M in net income, and -$7.1M in free cash flow against $592.6M in total assets and $455.5M in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Established market leader in Consumer Discretionary with deep daily trading liquidity.. Primary risk factors monitored: Company executives have done more routine share selling than personal cash buying lately.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
LEE last traded at $6.22 (-2.81% on volume of 28,845 shares), positioning the stock -13.73% below its 50-day simple moving average ($7.21) and -22.25% below its 200-day simple moving average ($8.00). Across its 52-week range of $3.34 to $11.88, LEE sits at the 33.7% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 36.7 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±12.5% ($5.44 to $7.00).
Why LEE Stock dropped -2.81% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash. Stretched risk/reward at current multiples (-1% return on capital) under elevated 10-year interest-rate pressure.