Fact based stock research
Lee (NYSE:LEE)

US5237684064

How to read the free ranks

For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Lee stock research in summary

lee.net

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 13 (worse than 87% compared with investment alternatives), Lee (Publishing, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lee are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 17), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 16), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 13, is a sell recommendation based on Lee's financial characteristics. As the company Lee's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 73) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 17) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 16), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 73% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	73
Growth Rank	17
Safety Rank	16
Combined Rank	13

Country	USA
Industry	Publishing
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	Small

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Lee

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	73	45	85	73
GROWTH
GROWTH	83	1	21	17
SAFETY
SAFETY	18	4	17	16
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	82	29	3	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	67	1	12	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Lee is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	73	45	85	73
GROWTH
GROWTH	83	1	21	17
SAFETY
SAFETY	18	4	17	16
COMBINED
COMBINED	67	4	28	13

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Lee the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), Lee shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Lee. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 97, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 97% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Lee's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 90% of alternatives (10% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 99% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 41, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 73, is a buy recommendation based on Lee's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Lee may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	100	96	100	97
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	89	93	41	41
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	35	34	96	90
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	73	45	85	73

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Lee; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 17 (better than 17% compared with alternatives), Lee shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for Lee. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 98, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 98% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 11, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 89% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 11 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 7 (93% of alternative investments were better). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 17, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is limited here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	80	5	23	11
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	6	3	34	98
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	99	17	18	11
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	99	15	63	7
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	83	1	21	17

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Lee.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 16 (better than 16% compared with alternatives), the company Lee has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Lee is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for Lee. Liquidity is at 47, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 53% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 14, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 86% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 12 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 88% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 16 (worse than 84% compared with alternatives), Lee has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Lee because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	6	4	7	14
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	12	12	14	12
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	70	50	55	47
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	18	4	17	16

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Lee and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	75	75	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	2	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	51	3	1	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	24	26	16	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	82	29	3	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Lee.
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