New York Times (NYSE:NYT) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Shares of The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $72.21, but opened at $62.35. New York Times shares last traded at $61.16, with a volume of 669,090 shares traded.

Trending Headlines about New York Times

Here are the key news stories impacting New York Times this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings showed continued digital momentum: revenue rose ~10.4%, digital subscriptions, ARPU and advertising strength lifted results and free cash flow was reported at $550.5M — a key fundamental positive for recurring-revenue growth. The New York Times’ Q4 Earnings Beat Highlights Digital Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: The board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.23 (a ~27.8% increase versus prior), which boosts income appeal and signals management confidence in cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $75 and kept an outperform rating — a vote of confidence that implies meaningful upside from current levels. New York Times (NYSE:NYT) Price Target Raised to $75.00 at Evercore ISI
• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan raised its target to $74 and carries an overweight rating, adding institutional validation for the stock’s growth thesis. New York Times (NYSE:NYT) Price Target Raised to $74.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces highlight NYT as a long-term growth stock based on digital subscription trends; helpful for sentiment but not an immediate catalyst. Why New York Times Co. (NYT) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile content (Olympics coverage and other major stories) can lift traffic and engagement intermittently, but the immediate stock effect is uncertain. Example Olympic coverage: USA women’s hockey / norovirus story. USA downs Czech Republic on Day 1 of Olympic women’s hockey headlined by norovirus outbreak
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positive newsflow, shares are lower today — likely reflecting near-term profit-taking after recent gains, a relatively high P/E (~32.6) and limited immediate upside for traders who had already priced in the beat and analyst raises. Investors should watch upcoming subscription trends and guidance for confirmation of sustained digital growth.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NYT. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of New York Times in a report on Thursday. Citigroup reduced their target price on New York Times from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $62.00 target price on New York Times in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Evercore raised their price target on New York Times from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of New York Times in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, New York Times has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.43.

New York Times Stock Down 1.5%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.22. The company has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.11.

New York Times (NYSE:NYT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $802.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $791.55 million. New York Times had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 12.18%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The New York Times Company will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

New York Times Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a positive change from New York Times’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. New York Times’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On New York Times

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in New York Times by 78.1% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,187,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,265,000 after purchasing an additional 1,836,788 shares during the period. Abrams Bison Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of New York Times during the second quarter valued at approximately $78,932,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in shares of New York Times by 98.5% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,055,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,993,000 after buying an additional 1,020,031 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp bought a new stake in shares of New York Times during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $58,209,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of New York Times by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,858,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,014,000 after acquiring an additional 714,366 shares during the last quarter. 95.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

New York Times Company Profile

The New York Times Company is a publicly traded media organization best known for publishing The New York Times newspaper and operating the NYTimes.com digital platform. The company produces daily print and digital journalism covering national and international news, opinion pieces, feature stories, and multimedia content. Alongside its flagship newspaper, the firm offers a range of subscription-based services, including Times Cooking, NYT Games, podcasts and newsletters, designed to engage a broad audience of readers and advertisers.

Founded in 1851 by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones, The New York Times has built a reputation for in-depth reporting and investigative journalism.