Lee EnterprisesSTU:LE7 +3.47%49 Interest Coverage is 0.84 as of Mar. 2026, which is 38% below its 10-year median of 1.35. GuruFocus rates STU:LE7 with a GF Score™ of 49/100 and a GF Value™ of €4.41 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 609 Media - Diversified companies, Lee Enterprises ranks worse than 91.95% on this metric.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's
Operating Income
by its Interest Expense. Lee Enterprises's
Operating Income
for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was €5.6 Mil. Lee Enterprises's Interest Expense for the
three
months ended in Mar. 2026 was €-6.6 Mil.
Lee Enterprises's interest coverage for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 0.84.
The higher the ratio, the stronger the company's financial strength is.
Warning Sign:
Ben Graham prefers companies' interest coverage to be at least 5. Lee Enterprises Incs earnings cannot cover its interest expense. If the situation continues, the company may have to issue more debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for Lee Enterprises's Interest Coverage or its related term are showing as below:
STU:LE7'
s Interest Coverage Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.49 Med: 1.35 Max: 1.72
Current: 0.81
STU:LE7's Interest Coverage is ranked worse than 91.95% of 609
companies
in the Media - Diversified industry
Industry Median: 11.88
vs STU:LE7: 0.81
Lee Enterprises (STU:LE7) Interest Coverage Explanation
Ben Graham requires that a company has a minimum interest coverage of 5 with the companies he invested. If the interest coverage is less than 2, the company is burdened by debt. Any business slow or recession may drag the company into a situation where it cannot pay the interest on its debt.
Interest Coverage is an important factor when GuruFocus ranks a company's overage Financial Strength .
Lee Enterprises Interest Coverage Related Terms
Lee Enterprises Interest Coverage Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Lee Enterprises's Interest Coverage 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.
Note: For Interest Coverage, "No debt" indicates no long-term debt. An indication of "No Debt" does not necessarily mean that the company has no long-term debt obligations; it could be due to missing data in the quarterly or annual report. Use caution when interpreting this information.
STU:LE7 vs EDUC, TNMG, SCHL: Interest Coverage Comparison
For the Publishing subindustry, Lee Enterprises's Interest Coverage, along with its competitors' market caps and Interest Coverage 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 Interest Coverage vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Lee Enterprises's Interest Coverage distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Lee Enterprises's Interest Coverage falls into.
Interest Coverage is a ratio that determines how easily a company can pay interest expenses on outstanding debt. It is calculated by dividing a company's Operating Income (EBIT) by its Interest Expense:
* 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 (STU:LE7) has a Interest Coverage of 0.84 as of Mar. 2026. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. This is 38% below median its historical median of 1.35. Over the past decade, Lee Enterprises' Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.49 to 1.72. According to the industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #560 out of 609 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, placing it in the top 92%.
Is Lee Enterprises' Interest Coverage too high?
Lee Enterprises' current Interest Coverage of 0.84 is 38% below median its 10-year median of 1.35. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.49 to a high of 1.72. The Media - Diversified industry median Interest Coverage is 11.88. Lee Enterprises' value of 0.84 is 92.9% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #560 out of 609 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Lee Enterprises has a GF Score™ of 49/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lee Enterprises' Interest Coverage compare to EDUC and TNMG?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #560 out of 609 companies for Interest Coverage. This places Lee Enterprises in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Interest Coverage is 11.88. Lee Enterprises' value of 0.84 is 92.9% below this benchmark. Historically, Lee Enterprises' own Interest Coverage has ranged from 0.49 to 1.72 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 1.35 vs. the industry median of 11.88, Lee Enterprises has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Interest Coverage for a Media - Diversified company?
The median Interest Coverage among Media - Diversified companies is 11.88, based on 609 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Interest Coverage significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Interest Coverage should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Lee Enterprises's current Interest Coverage of 0.84 is 92.9% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Interest Coverage mean?
A high Interest Coverage can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Interest Coverage measures a company's capability to pay interest expenses on its debt. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. For the Media - Diversified industry, the median Interest Coverage is 11.88 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Lee Enterprises's current Interest Coverage is 0.84, which is 38% below median its own 10-year median of 1.35. 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 (STU:LE7) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €4.41, compared to a current price of €7.45 — trading 68.9% above its estimated fair value. The current Interest Coverage is 0.84, which is 38% below median its 10-year median of 1.35 and 92.9% below the Media - Diversified industry median of 11.88. Lee Enterprises' overall GF Score™ is 49/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Interest Coverage calculated?
Interest Coverage is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Lee Enterprises (STU:LE7), the current Interest Coverage is 0.84 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 (STU:LE7) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Lee Enterprises stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of €7.45 is trading 68.9% above its estimated GF Value™ of €4.41.
GuruFocus considers Lee Enterprises to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for STU:LE7:
Interest Coverage: 0.84 (38% below median its 10-year median of 1.35)
GF Value™: €4.41 vs. price of €7.45 (68.9% above fair value)
Industry Position: 92.9% below the Media - Diversified median (#560 of 609)
No single metric tells the full story. See the STU:LE7 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.
49GF Score
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