Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.
Lee EnterprisesLEE -1.10%43 Debt-to-Equity is -87.23 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates LEE with a GF Score™ of 43/100 and a GF Value™ of $4.70 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 834 Media - Diversified companies, Lee Enterprises ranks worse than 119903.96% on this metric.
A high debt to equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings as a result of the additional interest expense.
The historical rank and industry rank for Lee Enterprises's Debt-to-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
LEE'
s Debt-to-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -87.23 Med: -9.44 Max: 124.05
Current: -87.23
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-Equity Ratio of Lee Enterprises was 124.05. The lowest was -87.23. And the median was -9.44.
LEE's Debt-to-Equity is not ranked
in the Media - Diversified industry.
Industry Median: 0.26
vs LEE: -87.23
Because a company can increase its ROE % by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high ROE % companies.
Lee Enterprises Debt-to-Equity Related Terms
Lee Enterprises Debt-to-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Lee Enterprises's Debt-to-Equity can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
LEE vs EDUC, IDWM, TNMG: Debt-to-Equity Comparison
For the Publishing subindustry, Lee Enterprises's Debt-to-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Lee Enterprises Debt-to-Equity vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Lee Enterprises's Debt-to-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Lee Enterprises's Debt-to-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Lee Enterprises (LEE) has a Debt-to-Equity of -87.23 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 834 companies in the Media - Diversified industry.
Is Lee Enterprises' Debt-to-Equity too high?
Lee Enterprises' current Debt-to-Equity is -87.23. Based on the distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 834 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Lee Enterprises has a GF Score™ of 43/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lee Enterprises' Debt-to-Equity compare to EDUC and IDWM?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 834 companies for Debt-to-Equity. This places Lee Enterprises in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-Equity is 0.26. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-Equity for a Media - Diversified company?
The median Debt-to-Equity among Media - Diversified companies is 0.26, based on 834 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-Equity mean?
A high Debt-to-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-Equity ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total company equity. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. For the Media - Diversified industry, the median Debt-to-Equity is 0.26 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Lee Enterprises's current Debt-to-Equity is -87.23. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Lee Enterprises stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Lee Enterprises (LEE) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $4.70, compared to a current price of $8.06 — trading 71.5% above its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-Equity is -87.23. Lee Enterprises' overall GF Score™ is 43/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-Equity calculated?
Debt-to-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Lee Enterprises (LEE), the current Debt-to-Equity is -87.23 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Lee Enterprises (LEE) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Lee Enterprises stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $8.06 is trading 71.5% above its estimated GF Value™ of $4.70.
GuruFocus considers Lee Enterprises to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for LEE:
Debt-to-Equity: -87.23
GF Value™: $4.70 vs. price of $8.06 (71.5% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the LEE stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Lee Enterprises Inc is a local news publication company in the United States. It is a digital-first subscription business providing local markets with valuable, high-quality, trusted, intensely local news, information, advertising, and marketing services. The product portfolio of the company includes digital subscription platforms, daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers, and niche products, all delivering original local news and information as well as national and international news. The products offer digital and print editions, and content and advertising are available in real-time through the websites and mobile apps.
43GF Score
Get the complete analysis for LEE
Debt-to-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
LEE has been successfully added to your 
