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U.S. Publishing Industry Analysis

UpdatedMar 22, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies11
  • 7D1.8%
  • 3M4.0%
  • 1Y14.7%
  • YTDn/a

In the last week, the Publishing industry is up 1.8%, with New York Times up 2.1%. During this same period, the Lee Enterprises underperformed, falling 16%. In the last 12 months, the industry was up 15%. Earnings are forecast to grow by 14% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.S. Publishing Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Sun, 22 Mar 2026US$30.9bUS$17.1bUS$1.0b22.7x30.8x1.8x
Tue, 17 Feb 2026US$28.5bUS$17.1bUS$977.1m15.2x29.2x1.7x
Thu, 15 Jan 2026US$30.7bUS$16.9bUS$1.0b16x30.6x1.8x
Sat, 13 Dec 2025US$29.7bUS$16.9bUS$998.5m16x29.7x1.8x
Mon, 10 Nov 2025US$29.2bUS$16.9bUS$994.0m20x29.4x1.7x
Wed, 08 Oct 2025US$29.2bUS$16.8bUS$1.0b21x29.1x1.7x
Fri, 05 Sep 2025US$30.3bUS$17.0bUS$992.3m24.2x30.6x1.8x
Sun, 03 Aug 2025US$29.3bUS$18.7bUS$961.9m24.2x30.5x1.6x
Tue, 01 Jul 2025US$30.3bUS$18.8bUS$952.7m28.3x31.8x1.6x
Thu, 29 May 2025US$29.3bUS$18.8bUS$909.5m24.7x32.2x1.6x
Sat, 26 Apr 2025US$27.9bUS$18.8bUS$753.2m35.9x37x1.5x
Mon, 24 Mar 2025US$27.7bUS$18.8bUS$753.2m35.8x36.8x1.5x
Wed, 19 Feb 2025US$30.0bUS$18.9bUS$546.9m33.7x54.8x1.6x
Fri, 17 Jan 2025US$28.7bUS$18.7bUS$456.4m37.2x62.8x1.5x
Sun, 15 Dec 2024US$30.1bUS$18.7bUS$489.6m32.2x61.4x1.6x
Tue, 12 Nov 2024US$31.1bUS$18.8bUS$432.2m32.1x72x1.7x
Thu, 10 Oct 2024US$28.5bUS$18.7bUS$345.3m33.7x82.5x1.5x
Sat, 07 Sep 2024US$28.2bUS$18.7bUS$333.6m56.9x84.4x1.5x
Mon, 05 Aug 2024US$27.9bUS$18.6bUS$165.8m70.8x168.4x1.5x
Wed, 03 Jul 2024US$28.3bUS$18.7bUS$176.9m34.1x159.8x1.5x
Fri, 31 May 2024US$27.6bUS$18.8bUS$221.9m26.4x124.5x1.5x
Sun, 28 Apr 2024US$24.8bUS$18.8bUS$317.6m25.2x78.1x1.3x
Tue, 26 Mar 2024US$26.4bUS$18.9bUS$333.8m30.2x79x1.4x
Thu, 22 Feb 2024US$26.3bUS$19.0bUS$439.5m23.7x59.9x1.4x
Sat, 20 Jan 2024US$25.4bUS$18.9bUS$316.6m20.4x80.3x1.3x
Mon, 18 Dec 2023US$25.1bUS$18.9bUS$278.1m19.2x90.2x1.3x
Wed, 15 Nov 2023US$22.7bUS$18.9bUS$334.1m20.9x68.1x1.2x
Fri, 13 Oct 2023US$23.1bUS$18.9bUS$272.5m39.6x84.8x1.2x
Sun, 10 Sep 2023US$23.8bUS$18.9bUS$301.2m41.2x78.9x1.3x
Tue, 08 Aug 2023US$22.9bUS$19.2bUS$498.3m39.2x46x1.2x
Thu, 06 Jul 2023US$21.8bUS$19.2bUS$432.1m38x50.4x1.1x
Sat, 03 Jun 2023US$21.4bUS$19.3bUS$406.6m31.7x52.6x1.1x
Mon, 01 May 2023US$21.0bUS$19.4bUS$370.5m33.8x56.7x1.1x
Wed, 29 Mar 2023US$19.8bUS$19.4bUS$370.4m31.9x53.3x1x
Price to Earnings Ratio

53.3x


Total Market Cap: US$19.8bTotal Earnings: US$370.4mTotal Revenue: US$19.4bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.S. Publishing Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 64.9x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are pessimistic on the American Publishing industry, indicating that they anticipate long term growth rates will be lower than they have historically.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 30.8x which is lower than its 3-year average PE of 64.9x.
  • The 3-year average PS ratio of 1.5x is lower than the industry's current PS ratio of 1.8x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Publishing industry have grown 39% per year over the last three years.
  • Meanwhile revenues for these companies have declined 4.1% per year.
  • This means that less sales are being generated overall, but since cost of doing business is lower, profits have been increasing.

Industry Comparison

How does U.S. Publishing compare with similar industries?

US Market-1.83%
Telecom-1.65%
Media-1.78%
Publishing1.79%
Cable and Satellite-0.94%
Broadcasting-1.76%
Advertising-5.14%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
NYT New York TimesUS$80.972.1%
+US$268.8m		66.3%PE38.1x
NWSA NewsUS$24.051.5%
+US$177.0m		-11.1%PE30.2x
SCHL ScholasticUS$37.2510.2%
+US$87.8m		75.5%PE15.1x
TDAY USA TODAYUS$6.441.3%
+US$11.7m		110.5%PE537.6x

Latest News

SCHL
US$37.25
Scholastic
7D
10.2%
1Y
75.5%

SCHL: Fair Outlook Balances Share Buybacks With Richer Future P/E Assumptions

Analysts have lifted the fair value estimate for Scholastic by $5 to $41, pointing to recent Street research that highlights prior strong share price gains, a $37 target that had been reached, and updated expectations reflected in a higher assumed future P/E multiple. Analyst Commentary Bullish Takeaways Bullish analysts point to prior share price gains of about 50%, including dividends since early September, as evidence that the market has been willing to pay up for Scholastic's execution and prospects.
NYT
US$80.97
New York Times
7D
2.1%
1Y
66.3%

NYT: Elevated Revenue And Margin Assumptions Will Restrain Future Share Returns

Analysts have lifted their average price targets on The New York Times by mid single digit amounts in recent research, pointing to updated assumptions for revenue growth, profit margins, and a slightly lower future P/E multiple as key drivers of the new $70.75 fair value estimate. Analyst Commentary Recent Street research has focused on how updated revenue and margin assumptions feed into a higher fair value for The New York Times, with several firms lifting price targets by low to mid single digit dollar amounts.
TDAY
US$6.44
USA TODAY
7D
1.3%
1Y
110.5%

TDAY: Meta AI Licensing And Digital Shift Will Shape Future Upside

Analysts have lifted their average fair value estimate for USA TODAY to about $7.93 from $7.12, citing growing confidence in the shift toward higher margin digital revenue, cost reduction efforts, and new monetization channels such as AI licensing deals and digital advertising. Analyst Commentary Recent research points to a more constructive stance on USA TODAY, with bullish analysts highlighting progress on the digital mix, cost actions, and new revenue streams as key inputs into higher fair value estimates.
WLY
US$36.17
John Wiley & Sons
7D
-1.5%
1Y
-18.6%

WLY: Content Partnerships And Journal Expansion Will Support Future Upside Potential

Analysts have raised their fair value estimate for John Wiley & Sons from $60 to $66, citing updated assumptions for revenue growth, profit margins, discount rate, and future P/E as key drivers of the higher price target. What's in the News Wiley partnered with OpenEvidence to license a broad portfolio of scientific and medical content, including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Clinical Answers, and more than 400 journals and books across major medical specialties, for use within OpenEvidence’s point of care platform (Key Developments).
LEE
US$7.95
Lee Enterprises
7D
-15.6%
1Y
-23.2%
NWSA
US$24.05
News
7D
1.5%
1Y
-11.1%

NWSA: AI Licensing Deal And Buybacks Will Support Future Upside

Narrative update on analyst price target The analyst price target for News Corp has been trimmed by $1, reflecting slightly higher assumed discount rates and a marginally higher future P/E multiple as analysts reassess the stock after recent price target cuts from major firms. Analyst Commentary Recent research updates have focused on fine tuning valuation assumptions for News Corp, with price targets trimmed rather than completely reset.