Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (LEE) Financial Ratios
30 years of historical data (1996–2025) · Communication Services · Publishing
EV/EBITDA
↑
13.49
↑+25% vs avg
5yr avg: 10.78
30Y Low4.8·High18.7
P/FCF
N/A
—
5yr avg: 3.10
30Y Low0.4·High25.1
P/B Ratio
↓
N/A
—
5yr avg: 3.87
30Y Low0.7·High5.9
ROE
↓
N/A
—
5yr avg: -3.4%
30Y Low-316%·High335%
Debt/EBITDA
↑
12.44
↑+27% vs avg
5yr avg: 9.76
30Y Low0.8·High15.0
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
LEE Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated currently has a negative P/E ratio, indicating the company is operating at a loss on a trailing-twelve-month basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $51M | $35M | $52M | $63M | $102M | $132M | $48M | $116M | $148M | $122M | $203M |
| Enterprise Value | $522M | $506M | $526M | $548M | $602M | $655M | $623M | $540M | $611M | $638M | $804M |
| P/E Ratio → | -1.33 | — | — | — | — | 5.81 | — | 8.13 | 3.24 | 4.40 | 5.86 |
| P/S Ratio | 0.09 | 0.06 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.17 | 0.08 | 0.23 | 0.27 | 0.21 | 0.33 |
| P/B Ratio | — | — | — | 2.65 | 5.90 | 3.05 | — | — | — | — | — |
| P/FCF | — | — | — | — | — | 3.10 | 1.14 | 2.24 | 2.78 | 1.79 | 2.82 |
| P/OCF | — | — | 46.35 | — | 29.66 | 2.63 | 0.95 | 2.01 | 2.50 | 1.69 | 2.57 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
LEE EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's enterprise value stands at 13.5x EBITDA, 25% above its 5-year average of 10.8x. The Communication Services sector median is 8.7x, placing the stock at a 55% premium on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 0.90 | 0.86 | 0.79 | 0.77 | 0.82 | 1.01 | 1.06 | 1.12 | 1.12 | 1.31 |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.49 | 13.07 | 16.36 | 8.09 | 9.80 | 6.59 | 7.21 | 5.19 | 5.08 | 4.77 | 5.45 |
| EV / EBIT | 26.28 | — | 52.35 | 14.28 | 14.14 | 11.92 | 10.56 | 7.57 | 7.30 | 6.52 | 6.56 |
| EV / FCF | — | — | — | — | — | 15.37 | 14.91 | 10.42 | 11.46 | 9.35 | 11.14 |
LEE Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated earns an operating margin of 3.5%. Operating margins have compressed from 5.4% to 3.5% over the past 3 years, signaling potential cost pressures or competitive headwinds. ROIC of 3.3% represents below-average returns on invested capital.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 55.9% | 55.9% | 97.3% | 96.3% | 96.1% | 96.3% | 96.1% | 95.6% | 95.4% | 95.6% | 95.8% |
| Operating Margin | 3.5% | 3.5% | 0.7% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 7.1% | 8.1% | 14.7% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.9% |
| Net Profit Margin | -6.7% | -6.7% | -4.2% | -0.8% | -0.3% | 2.9% | -0.3% | 2.8% | 8.4% | 4.8% | 5.7% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | — | — | -315.7% | -25.7% | -6.7% | 334.6% | — | — | — | — | — |
| ROA | -6.0% | -6.0% | -3.8% | -0.7% | -0.3% | 2.7% | -0.3% | 2.5% | 7.7% | 4.3% | 4.9% |
| ROIC | 3.3% | 3.3% | 0.7% | 5.4% | 3.4% | 7.6% | 8.1% | 13.8% | 15.6% | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| ROCE | 3.9% | 3.9% | 0.8% | 6.1% | 3.8% | 8.0% | 8.3% | 14.9% | 17.1% | 17.0% | 17.0% |
LEE Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 12.4x, which is highly leveraged (257% above the sector average of 3.5x). Net debt stands at $472M ($482M total debt minus $10M cash). Interest coverage of just 0.5x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | — | — | — | 21.09 | 29.96 | 12.70 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Debt / EBITDA | 12.44 | 12.44 | 15.04 | 7.38 | 8.41 | 5.52 | 7.05 | 4.15 | 3.89 | 3.93 | 4.19 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | — | — | 20.48 | 29.02 | 12.09 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 12.18 | 12.18 | 14.75 | 7.16 | 8.15 | 5.26 | 6.66 | 4.07 | 3.84 | 3.86 | 4.07 |
| Debt / FCF | — | — | — | — | — | 12.27 | 13.78 | 8.18 | 8.68 | 7.56 | 8.32 |
| Interest Coverage | 0.49 | 0.49 | 0.11 | 0.90 | 0.59 | 1.26 | 0.84 | 1.37 | 1.68 | 1.61 | 1.62 |
LEE Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
The current ratio of 0.79x is below 1.0, meaning current liabilities exceed current assets. The current ratio has declined from 0.93x to 0.79x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.79 | 0.79 | 0.85 | 0.93 | 0.83 | 0.77 | 0.76 | 0.99 | 0.91 | 0.69 | 0.78 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.80 | 0.87 | 0.77 | 0.72 | 0.70 | 0.93 | 0.82 | 0.65 | 0.74 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.09 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.18 | 0.23 | 0.14 | 0.08 | 0.11 | 0.17 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.93 | 0.94 | 0.97 | 1.05 | 0.94 | 0.72 | 0.92 | 0.95 | 0.91 | 0.93 |
| Inventory Turnover | 52.77 | 52.77 | 2.98 | 3.38 | 3.64 | 4.73 | 3.22 | 5.90 | 4.39 | 6.89 | 6.14 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 35.45 | 36.21 | 36.49 | 32.49 | 29.89 | 31.07 | 30.45 | 29.33 | 31.85 | 30.50 |
LEE Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated does not currently pay a dividend and has no material buyback yield, reinvesting earnings back into the business.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | — | — | — | 1.0% | 0.6% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Payout Ratio | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | — | — | — | — | — | 17.2% | — | 12.3% | 30.9% | 22.7% | 17.1% |
| FCF Yield | — | — | — | — | — | 32.3% | 87.9% | 44.6% | 35.9% | 56.0% | 35.5% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $5M |
Peer Comparison
Compare LEE with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LEEYou | $51M | -1.3 | 13.5 | — | 55.9% | 3.5% | — | 3.3% | 12.4 |
 GCI | $877M | -33.1 | 18.1 | 17.3 | 38.4% | -1.7% | -11.2% | -2.3% | 11.3 |
 NYT | $14B | 47.3 | 30.2 | 35.4 | 49.4% | 13.6% | 15.9% | 16.0% | 0.1 |
 NWS | $17B | 37.3 | 11.2 | 23.7 | 56.2% | 16.7% | 5.0% | 10.5% | 1.8 |
 SSP | $434M | -2.6 | 12.5 | — | — | 8.6% | -12.8% | 5.3% | 0.3 |
 GTN | $536M | -6.3 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 96.6% | 12.7% | -3.3% | 5.7% | 0.2 |
 NXST | $6B | 65.7 | 4.5 | 8.0 | — | 17.2% | — | 19.1% | — |
 IAC | $3B | -31.8 | 14.1 | 70.6 | 66.8% | -4.1% | -1.9% | -1.2% | 5.5 |
 SBGI | $1B | -9.2 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 36.1% | 4.9% | -25.3% | 2.8% | 9.5 |
 GOOGL | $4.8T | 36.8 | 32.2 | 65.7 | 59.7% | 32.1% | 35.7% | 25.1% | 0.4 |
 META | $1.6T | 26.1 | 15.7 | 33.7 | 82.0% | 41.4% | 30.2% | 27.6% | 0.8 |
| Communication Services Median | — | 15.2 | 8.7 | 11.6 | 49.1% | 1.0% | 2.4% | 3.3% | 3.5 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Download Financial Ratios Data
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
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Start ComparisonLEE — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying LEE stock.
What is Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's P/E ratio?
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's current P/E ratio is -1.3x. The historical average is 13.9x.
What is Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's EV/EBITDA?
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's current EV/EBITDA is 13.5x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 9.5x.
Is LEE stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, Lee Enterprises, Incorporated is trading at a P/E of -1.3x. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What are Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's profit margins?
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated has 55.9% gross margin and 3.5% operating margin.
How much debt does Lee Enterprises, Incorporated have?
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 12.4x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.