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Lee EnterprisesLEE -2.50%37 Net Cash per Share is $-25.45 as of Jun. 2026. GuruFocus rates LEE with a GF Score™ of 37/100 and a GF Value™ of $3.54 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 241 Media - Diversified companies, Lee Enterprises ranks worse than 414937.34% on this metric.
The historical rank and industry rank for Lee Enterprises's Net Cash per Share or its related term are showing as below:
LEE's Price-to-Net-Cash is not ranked *
in the Media - Diversified industry.
Industry Median: 4.79 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Price-to-Net-Cash only.
Lee Enterprises (NAS:LEE) Net Cash per Share Explanation
Ben Graham invested in situations where the company's stock price was lower than its net-cash. He assigned some value to the company's other current asset. The value is called Net Current Asset Value (NCAV). One research study, covering the years 1970 through 1983 showed that portfolios picked at the beginning of each year, and held for one year, returned 29.4 percent, on average, over the 13-year period, compared to 11.5 percent for the S&P 500 Index. Other studies of Graham's strategy produced similar results.
You can find companies that are traded below their Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) with our Net-Net screener.
Lee Enterprises Net Cash per Share Related Terms
Lee Enterprises Net Cash per Share Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Lee Enterprises's Net Cash per Share 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: Net Cash per Share Comparison
For the Publishing subindustry, Lee Enterprises's Price-to-Net-Cash, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Net-Cash 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 Price-to-Net-Cash vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Lee Enterprises's Price-to-Net-Cash distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Lee Enterprises's Price-to-Net-Cash falls into.
In the calculation of a company's Net Cash per Share, assets other than cash and short term investments are considered to be worth nothing. But the company has to pay its debt and other liabilities in full. This is an extremely conservative way of valuation. Most companies have negative Net Cash per Share. But sometimes a company's price may be lower than its net-cash.
Lee Enterprises's Net Cash per Share for the fiscal year that ended in Sep. 2025 is calculated as
* 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 Net Cash per Share of $-25.45 as of Jun. 2026. Net cash per share equals the per-share value of cash and equivalents less total liabilities and minority interest. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 241 companies in the Media - Diversified industry.
Is Lee Enterprises' Net Cash per Share too high?
Lee Enterprises' current Net Cash per Share is $-25.45. Based on the distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 241 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Lee Enterprises has a GF Score™ of 37/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lee Enterprises' Net Cash per Share compare to EDUC and IDWM?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Lee Enterprises ranks #999999 out of 241 companies for Net Cash per Share. This places Lee Enterprises in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Net Cash per Share is 4.79. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Net Cash per Share for a Media - Diversified company?
The median Net Cash per Share among Media - Diversified companies is 4.79, based on 241 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Net Cash per Share significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Net Cash per Share 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 Net Cash per Share mean?
A high Net Cash per Share can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Net cash per share equals the per-share value of cash and equivalents less total liabilities and minority interest. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. For the Media - Diversified industry, the median Net Cash per Share is 4.79 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Lee Enterprises's current Net Cash per Share is $-25.45. 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 $3.54, compared to a current price of $8.18 — trading 130.9% above its estimated fair value. The current Net Cash per Share is $-25.45. Lee Enterprises' overall GF Score™ is 37/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Net Cash per Share calculated?
Net Cash per Share is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Lee Enterprises (LEE), the current Net Cash per Share is $-25.45 as of Jun. 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 $8.18 is trading 130.9% above its estimated GF Value™ of $3.54.
GuruFocus considers Lee Enterprises to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for LEE:
Net Cash per Share: $-25.45
GF Value™: $3.54 vs. price of $8.18 (130.9% 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.
37GF Score
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