Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (LEE)

Nasdaq: LEE · Newspapers: Publishing or Publishing & Printing · Davenport, IA · filing with the SEC since 1994

Full chart Alerts Compare

Grade1.7

◀ Past 2.0● Present 1.9▶ Future 1.2

1 est.

Overview Business Financials Grade Forecast Sentiment Ownership People Filings Patents Chart

The grade of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated

Nine metrics read from its own filings, by tense

Headline grade

1.7/10

◀ Past2.030% of the headline

● Present1.940% of the headline

▶ Future1.230% of the headline

All three tenses have at least two readings, so the archetype blend applies as printed.

Of the nine metrics, 8 read as filed from the record and 1 is an SI estimate, each with its reasoning, its confidence and what would change it on its card.

◀ Past

What did they actually do?

2.0/1030% of the headline grade · 2 of 3 filed, 1 estimated

Surviving crises

as filed

1.1/10

Has it survived what it has been through?

10 warning events since 2017; the latest 2026-09-09.

weight 33% of this tense · 11th percentile among 23 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's filings since 2017 show 10 warning events of 4 kinds: a notice about its exchange listing (8-K item 3.01, 4 times, the latest 2023-02-14); an auditor change (8-K item 4.01, 2 times, the latest 2026-09-09); a material cybersecurity incident (8-K item 1.05, 2 times, the latest 2025-03-06); a late-report notice (Form NT 10-K or NT 10-Q, 2 times, the latest 2023-02-06) (its current reports).

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Track record

as filed

2.3/10

What has it actually done, year after year?

-0.1% a year over 9 filed years; profitable in 4 of 9.

weight 45% of this tense · 23rd percentile among 21 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's 9 filed years say what it did: revenue went from $567 million in fiscal 2017 to $562 million in fiscal 2025, down 0.1% a year; it rose in 2 of 8 years; the deepest fall was 29% from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025; net income was positive in 4 of 9 of those years (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue growth over the filed span-0.1%bottom 38% of its family
the share of years revenue rosebottom 7% of its family
the share of filed years with a profitbottom 26% of its family
the deepest fall from a revenue peak29.2%bottom 21% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Shareholder treatment

SI estimate

3.0/10

How has it treated the people who own it?

SI estimate 3.0/10, confidence 35 of 100 (one part).

weight 22% of this tense · 30th percentile among 22 sector filers · read for its shareholders

SI estimate Inferred, not read as filed

Why it is an estimate: Read from one part only, the share count over the years, which ranks in the bottom 30% of 22 in its family; fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income.
What the record cannot read: Fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income.
How it was reasoned: one part: the share count over the years, the one part on file, ranked among 22 in its family.
Confidence: 35 of 100
What would change it: A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

From the record

SI estimate, not a filed reading: Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's shareholder treatment is put at 3.0 of 10 with a confidence of 35 of 100, because read from one part only, the share count over the years, which ranks in the bottom 30% of 22 in its family; fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income. A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

● Present

What are they doing right now?

1.9/1040% of the headline grade · 3 of 3 filed

Financial health

as filed

2.0/10

Is it financially healthy right now?

Leverage 107%: owes 107¢ per asset dollar.

weight 33% of this tense · 20th percentile among 22 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Return on equity: in the fiscal year ended 2025-09-28, Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's shareholders' equity was below zero, so the profit on it is not read. Leverage: it owed about 107 cents per dollar of assets, and net share issuance: its share count grew 2.1% over the year (the filed statements).

What it rests on

what it owes per dollar of assetsbottom 7% of its family
the share count against the year beforebottom 34% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Industry position

as filed

1.8/10

How strong is its position in its industry?

bottom 18% of 21 in its family; net margin -6.7%.

weight 45% of this tense · 18th percentile among 21 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's standing among 21 graded names in its industry family: revenue of $562 million in fiscal 2025 ranks in the bottom 29% by size; a net margin of -6.7% ranks in the bottom 17%; revenue growth of -10.3% a year over the last 3 filed years ranks in the bottom 7% (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue against the family$562Mbottom 29% of its family
net margin-6.7%bottom 17% of its family
three-year revenue growth-10.3%bottom 7% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Leadership

as filed

1.9/10

What are the people in charge doing?

bottom 19% of 15 in its family for leadership; chief executive since 2026.

weight 22% of this tense · 19th percentile among 15 sector filers · read for its shareholders

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's leadership, from its insiders' filings and its current reports: the chief executive on the record is Bekke, Nathan E. (President & CEO, as filed), filing under that title since 2026-08-10, 3 months (bottom 3% of its family); the 15 officers and directors filing in the last fifteen months have been on the record a median of 6.7 years (bottom 32%); 9 officer or director changes were reported on Form 8-K since 2023-11-13, against the 15 people in charge now (bottom 22%; fewer changes for each person reads higher) (the Form 4 record, its Form 8-K reports). Years count from a person's first filing in the SEC's data sets, which begin in 2006, so each is a floor.

What it rests on

officer and director changes on Form 8-K, against the people in charge9 in three years among 15 peoplebottom 22% of its family
the median years the people in charge have filed6.7 yearsbottom 32% of its family
the chief executive's years on the record4 monthsbottom 3% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

▶ Future

What are they set up to do next?

1.2/1030% of the headline grade · 3 of 3 filed

Room to expand

as filed

0.7/10

How much room does it have to grow?

bottom 7% of 21 in its family for room to expand.

weight 33% of this tense · 7th percentile among 21 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's room to grow, from the newest filed statements (fiscal 2025): cash of $10 million against debt of $455 million leaves -74% of its assets as net cash, bottom 2% of its family; cash from operations less capital spending is -1.3% of revenue (bottom 12%) (its annual report).

What it rests on

cash less debt against assets-74.0%bottom 2% of its family
cash from operations less capital spending against revenue-1.3%bottom 12% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Growth drivers

as filed

1.1/10

What could actually drive growth from here?

bottom 10% of 21 in its family for growth drivers.

weight 45% of this tense · 10th percentile among 21 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's growth drivers, from the filed years to fiscal 2025: revenue grew -10.3% a year over the last three filed years against -0.1% over all 9, slowing (bottom 8% of its family); the newest year grew -8% (bottom 21%); capital spending grew -41% a year (bottom 3%) (its annual reports). Lee Enterprises, Incorporated reported 3 product lines in fiscal 2025: Subscription and Circulation at $258 million (46%), Advertising and Marketing Services at $253 million (45%), Product and Service Other at $51 million (9%); 0 of 3 grew against the year before (its annual report).

What it rests on

three-year growth against the whole span-10.2 points a yearbottom 8% of its family
the newest year's revenue growth-8.0%bottom 21% of its family
three-year growth of capital spending-41.0%bottom 3% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Expectations vs reality

as filed

2.3/10

Did its newest year beat what its own record pointed to?

bottom 23% of 20 in its family for expectations against reality.

weight 22% of this tense · 23rd percentile among 20 sector filers · read for its shareholders

From the record

Lee Enterprises, Incorporated's newest year against its own record: revenue of $562 million in fiscal 2025 came in 3.9% above the $541 million its prior three years' pace pointed to (bottom 48% of its family); net income of $38 million against a prior three-year average of $11 million (bottom 3%); a net margin of -6.7% against -1.7% before (bottom 18%) (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue against the prior three years' pace3.9%bottom 48% of its family
net income against the prior three years' average-240%bottom 3% of its family
net margin against its prior average-4.9 pointsbottom 18% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

The grade is the company against its own industry, from its filings. It is not a view on the share price. How the grade is made

SI Assistanton LEE · research, not advice