Lee Enterprises (STU:LE7) Operating Income: €26.5 Mil (TTM As of Mar. 2026)

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STU:LE7 Lee Enterprises Inc STU:LE7
55 GF Score
Price €6.60
GF Value €4.02
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 6 Warning Signs
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What is Lee Enterprises Operating Income?

Lee Enterprises STU:LE7 -1.49% 55 Operating Income is €26.5 Mil as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates STU:LE7 with a GF Score™ of 55/100 and a GF Value™ of €4.02 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review.

Lee Enterprises's Operating Income for the three months ended in Mar. 2026 was €5.6 Mil. Its Operating Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was €26.5 Mil.

Operating Margin % is calculated as Operating Income divided by its Revenue. Lee Enterprises's Operating Income for the three months ended in Mar. 2026 was €5.6 Mil. Lee Enterprises's Revenue for the three months ended in Mar. 2026 was €105.5 Mil. Therefore, Lee Enterprises's Operating Margin % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 5.27%.

Warning Sign:

Lee Enterprises Inc operating margin has been in a 5-year decline. The average rate of decline per year is -16.2%.

Lee Enterprises's 5-Year average Growth Rate for Operating Margin % was -16.20% per year.

Operating Income or EBIT is linked to Return on Capital for both regular definition and Joel Greenblatt's definition. Lee Enterprises's annualized ROC % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 0.00%. Lee Enterprises's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was 67.06%.


Lee Enterprises  (STU:LE7) Operating Income Explanation

1. Operating Income or EBIT is linked to Return on Capital for both regular definition and Joel Greenblatt's definition.

Lee Enterprises's annualized ROC % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as:

ROC % (Q: Mar. 2026 )
=NOPAT/Average Invested Capital
=Operating Income * ( 1 - Tax Rate % )/( (Invested Capital (Q: Dec. 2025 ) + Invested Capital (Q: Mar. 2026 ))/ count )
=22.26 * ( 1 - 100% )/( (463.603 + 465.907)/ 2 )
=0/464.755
=0.00 %

where

Note: The Operating Income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) data.

2. Joel Greenblatt's definition of Return on Capital:

Lee Enterprises's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as:

ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %(Q: Mar. 2026 )
=EBIT/Average of (Net fixed Assets + Net Working Capital)
=EBIT/Average of (Property, Plant and Equipment+Net Working Capital)
     Q: Dec. 2025  Q: Mar. 2026
=EBIT/( ( (Property, Plant and Equipment + Net Working Capital) + (Property, Plant and Equipment + Net Working Capital) )/ count )
=32.412/( ( (49.558 + max(-29.702, 0)) + (47.113 + max(-27.921, 0)) )/ 2 )
=32.412/( ( 49.558 + 47.113 )/ 2 )
=32.412/48.3355
=67.06 %

where Working Capital is:

Working Capital(Q: Dec. 2025 )
=(Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Defer. Rev. + Other Current Liabilities)
=(43.645 + 4.122 + 12.229) - (67.529 + 22.169 + 0)
=-29.702

Working Capital(Q: Mar. 2026 )
=(Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Defer. Rev. + Other Current Liabilities)
=(39.422 + 4.484 + 7.304) - (56.999 + 22.132 + 0)
=-27.921

When net working capital is negative, 0 is used.

Note: The EBIT data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBIT data.

3. Operating Income is also linked to Operating Margin %:

Lee Enterprises's Operating Margin % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 is calculated as:

Operating Margin %=Operating Income (Q: Mar. 2026 )/Revenue (Q: Mar. 2026 )
=5.565/105.499
=5.27 %

* 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.

4. Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the Operating Income growth rate using Operating Income per share data.


Be Aware

Compared with a company's EBITDA margin, Operating Margin can be manipulated by adjusting the rate of depreciation, depletion and amortization (DDA).

If a company is facing competition, its Operating Margin may decline. Often the Operating Margin declines well before the company's revenue or even profit decline. Therefore, Operating Margin is a very important indicator of whether the company is facing problems.

For instance, by 2012, Nokia (NOK)'s problems were well known and its stock had lost more than 90% of its market value since 2007. But Nokia's Operating Margin had already been in decline since 2002, although its earnings per share were still rising. Investors who paid attention to Operating Margin would have avoided this huge loss. The same can be said for Research-in-Motion (RIMM).

Therefore, Operating Margin is a very important screening filter for GuruFocus. GuruFocus's Buffett-Munger screener requires that the profit margin is either consistent or expanding. The Model Portfolio of the Buffett-Munger screener has outperformed the market every year since inception in 2009.


Lee Enterprises Operating Income Related Terms


Lee Enterprises Operating Income Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Lee Enterprises's Operating Income 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 Enterprises Operating Income Chart

Lee Enterprises Annual Data
Trend Sep16 Sep17 Sep18 Sep19 Sep20 Sep21 Sep22 Sep23 Sep24 Sep25
Operating Income
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 55.71 52.15 42.35 27.41 16.94

Lee Enterprises Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Operating Income Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.91 8.28 8.17 4.50 5.57
STU:LE7
55GF Score
Lee Enterprises Inc STU:LE7
Operating Income is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Lee Enterprises Operating Income Calculation

Operating Income, is the profit a company earned through operations. All expenses, including cash expenses such as cost of goods sold (COGS), research & development, wages, and non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, depletion and amortization, have been deducted from the sales.

Operating Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was €26.5 Mil.

* 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.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Operating Income →
What does a Operating Income of €26.5 Mil mean?
Lee Enterprises (STU:LE7) has a Operating Income of €26.5 Mil as of Mar. 2026. Operating Income equals sales less all operating expenses. It is linked to EBIT. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors.
Is Lee Enterprises' Operating Income too high?
Lee Enterprises' current Operating Income is €26.5 Mil. Overall, Lee Enterprises has a GF Score™ of 55/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lee Enterprises' Operating Income compare to EDUC and IDWM?
Lee Enterprises' Operating Income of €26.5 Mil can be compared against companies in the Media - Diversified industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Operating Income for a Media - Diversified company?
A good Operating Income depends on the Media - Diversified industry context. However, Operating Income 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 Operating Income mean?
A high Operating Income can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Operating Income equals sales less all operating expenses. It is linked to EBIT. View historical data on Lee Enterprises and its competitors. Lee Enterprises's current Operating Income is €26.5 Mil. 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 €4.02, compared to a current price of €6.60 — trading 64.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Operating Income is €26.5 Mil. Lee Enterprises' overall GF Score™ is 55/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Operating Income calculated?
Operating Income is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Lee Enterprises (STU:LE7), the current Operating Income is €26.5 Mil 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 €6.60 is trading 64.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of €4.02. GuruFocus considers Lee Enterprises to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for STU:LE7:

  • Operating Income: €26.5 Mil
  • GF Value™: €4.02 vs. price of €6.60 (64.2% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 55/100 with 6 warning signs

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 Business Description

Other Exchanges LEE:USA
Address 4600 E 53rd Street, Davenport, IA, USA, 52807
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.
55GF Score

Get the complete analysis for STU:LE7

Operating Income is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

€6.60
Price
€4.02
GF Value