LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED is a Delaware corporation, foreign-qualified to do business in Washington State under Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number 601877006, where its registration status is listed as active. The company was incorporated in Delaware on December 28, 2001. Its principal executive offices are located at 4600 E. 53rd Street, Davenport, Iowa 52807.
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated is a media company that publishes and operates daily and weekly newspapers and affiliated digital news platforms across the United States, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Buffalo News and the Arizona Daily Star, together with more than 300 additional weekly, classified and specialty publications in 25 states. Its principal business activities, classified under SIC code 2711 (newspapers: publishing or publishing and printing), include print and digital news publishing, digital subscriptions, print and digital advertising, and digital marketing services provided to local businesses through its Amplified Digital platform. Common stock of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol LEE.
For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2025, the company reported total operating revenue of approximately $562 million, comprising about $298 million in digital revenue and $264 million in print revenue, and approximately 2,400 full-time employees, of whom around 250 were represented by labor unions, according to its Form 10-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on November 26, 2025.
Beginning around February 1, 2025, and publicly confirmed on February 18, 2025, Lee Enterprises experienced a ransomware attack that encrypted critical applications supporting product distribution, billing, collections and vendor payments across its newspaper operations. The Qilin ransomware group later claimed responsibility for the intrusion. Lee Enterprises subsequently disclosed that the personal information, including Social Security numbers, of approximately 39,779 individuals may have been affected, and reported around $2 million in associated restoration costs.
Separately, in December 2025 Lee Enterprises agreed to a $50 million equity private placement, which closed on February 5, 2026. A portion of the proceeds was used to amend the company’s credit facility, reducing the interest rate applicable to approximately $455.5 million of its long-term debt from 9% to 5% for a five-year period, a change the company said would improve its financial flexibility going forward.
- Company fundamentals
- Corporate linkage & group structures
- Digitized company financials
- Firmographics — websites, social profiles, revenue and employee estimates
Shareholders
5
Shareholders of LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
Zavia’s registry data lists five reported institutional shareholders out of eight on record, each holding minority positions, verified as of August 2, 2026: Gabelli Funds, LLC (approximately 4.91%), Cannell Capital LLC (approximately 4.88%), Wittenberg Investment Management, Inc. (approximately 2.31%), BlackRock, Inc. (approximately 1.12%) and the Fidelity Concord Street Trust – Fidelity Extended Market Index Fund (approximately 0.54%). These are institutional asset managers reporting positions under US securities disclosure rules rather than controlling shareholders. As a Nasdaq-listed US public company, Lee Enterprises, Incorporated is required to disclose only shareholders that cross applicable reporting thresholds, so its complete shareholder register, including retail and smaller institutional holders, is not public. Separately, and more recently, a Schedule 13D/A filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission discloses that investor David M. Hoffmann and related reporting persons purchased 10,909,440 newly issued shares of common stock for $35,455,680 in a transaction that closed on February 5, 2026, bringing their combined holding to 11,528,340 shares, or approximately 52% of Lee Enterprises’ outstanding common stock as of that date. This filing supersedes an earlier amendment dated December 31, 2025 that reported the same reporting persons’ pre-transaction stake at approximately 9.88%.
Ultimate beneficial ownership
Based on the Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC (Amendment No. 9, filed February 9, 2026), David M. Hoffmann, together with related reporting persons including Jerrilyn M. Hoffmann and an associated family trust, directly and indirectly beneficially owns approximately 52% of the outstanding common stock of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated, following a stock purchase agreement dated December 30, 2025 that closed on February 5, 2026. This crosses common majority-control thresholds and is treated here as a verified beneficial ownership position as of the February 5, 2026 closing date. No further ownership chain above David M. Hoffmann is disclosed in the filing.
Data availability
Shareholder disclosure for this Nasdaq-listed US company is major-shareholders-only: holders must publicly report positions only once they cross regulatory thresholds (broadly, 5% under Schedule 13D/13G, or lower thresholds for Section 16 insiders), so the complete shareholder base below those thresholds is not public. The institutional holding percentages sourced from Zavia’s registry feed are dated August 2, 2026; the majority-ownership position is sourced directly from the underlying SEC Schedule 13D/A filings and reflects the most current verified information available.
Sources
- Washington Secretary of State corporate registry, UBI 601877006 – https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov – retrieved 2026-09-09
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 8), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2025-12-31, event date 2025-12-30 – https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000058361&type=SC+13D
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 9), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-02-09, event date 2026-02-05 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/58361/000119312526111176/ck0000000000-ex99_a.pdf
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 8-K (strategic investment closing), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-02-05 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/58361/000121390026012780/ea027525701ex99-1_lee.htm
- Nasdaq company profile, Lee Enterprises Incorporated (LEE) – retrieved 2026-09-09
| Shareholder | Type | Holding | Source Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabelli Funds, LLC | 4.9% | Washington Secretary of State | |
| Cannell Capital LLC | 4.9% | Washington Secretary of State | |
| Wittenberg Investment Management, Inc. | 2.3% | Washington Secretary of State | |
| Blackrock Inc. | 1.1% | Washington Secretary of State | |
| Fidelity Concord Street Trust-Fidelity Extended Market Index Fund | 0.5% | Washington Secretary of State |
Officers
3
Directors and officers of LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
Zavia’s registry data, sourced from the Washington Secretary of State’s corporate filing, currently lists 20 active officer or governing-person records for the company, of which five appear in the sourced extract: C. D. Waterman III (Governor), Theodore F. Olt III (Secretary & General Counsel), Nathan E. Bekke (recorded there as Senior Vice President of Operations & Audience Strategy), Timothy R. Millage (Governingperson) and Charles E. Arms (Corporate Communications Manager). All are recorded with an active work status; no appointment or resignation dates, and no nationality, are disclosed in this source. “Governor” and “Governingperson” are generic terms this state registry uses for a company’s directors or governing persons and do not indicate a government role.
Subsequent SEC filings show significant leadership change not yet reflected in the registry extract above. Following a $50 million equity investment that closed on February 5, 2026, investor David Hoffmann joined Lee Enterprises’ board of directors as chairman. Long-serving President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin D. Mowbray left that role around the same time, and Nathan E. Bekke, previously the company’s Chief Operating Officer, was named interim Chief Executive Officer. On April 23, 2026, the board confirmed Nathan E. Bekke as President and Chief Executive Officer and Joshua P. Rinehults as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, following a nationwide search, ending the interim leadership period.
Recent officer changes
- Chief Executive Officer: Kevin D. Mowbray departed as President and CEO; Nathan E. Bekke, previously Chief Operating Officer, was named interim CEO on or about February 5, 2026, then confirmed as permanent President and CEO on April 23, 2026. Source: Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 8-K, US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-04-24.
- Chief Financial Officer: Joshua P. Rinehults was named interim CFO around February 2026 and confirmed as permanent Vice President, CFO and Treasurer on April 23, 2026. Source: same 8-K.
- Board chairman: David Hoffmann joined the board of directors as chairman upon closing of the company’s $50 million equity investment on February 5, 2026. Source: Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 8-K, US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-02-05.
Data availability
Officer and director information for this Delaware corporation, as filed with the Washington Secretary of State, is partial: it identifies active officers and their job titles but does not disclose appointment or resignation dates, nationality or country of residence. Nationality is not disclosed in either the state registry data or the reviewed SEC filings and should not be inferred from any name, address or reported location. The most current executive leadership information above comes from the company’s SEC filings and press releases rather than the state registry extract, which may lag recent changes.
Sources
- Washington Secretary of State corporate registry, UBI 601877006 – https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov – retrieved 2026-09-09
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 8-K (CEO and CFO appointment), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-04-24 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000058361/000005836126000034/ex991leeceoandcfoappointme.htm
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 8-K (strategic investment closing / board chairman), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2026-02-05 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/58361/000121390026012780/ea027525701ex99-1_lee.htm
- Lee Enterprises, Inc., Names Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, press release, 2026-04-24 – https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/04/24/3281065/0/en/lee-enterprises-inc-names-chief-executive-and-chief-financial-officers.html
Group Structure
Group structure of LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
Zavia’s registry data records no verified parent, subsidiary or ownership linkage for this company. Official SEC disclosure adds detail: as a US Securities and Exchange Commission registrant, Lee Enterprises, Incorporated files a list of its significant subsidiaries as Exhibit 21 to its annual report. Its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2025, filed November 26, 2025, discloses more than 30 subsidiary and affiliated entities, most operating newspaper and publishing businesses in the states where Lee Enterprises’ titles are published. Lee Enterprises, Incorporated itself has no verified corporate parent; its common stock is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and, following a 2026 equity transaction described in the Shareholders block of this profile, an individual investor and related reporting persons hold a majority equity position – a shareholding matter rather than a verified corporate parent relationship. Information is current as of the November 26, 2025 SEC filing and is considered largely complete for SEC-reportable subsidiaries, though it excludes any subsidiaries below SEC materiality thresholds.
Verified corporate relationships
| Entity | Country | Registration number | Relationship | Ownership | Status | Information date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulitzer Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Pulitzer Missouri Newspapers, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| The Buffalo News, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Lee Publications, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Madison Newspapers, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Journal-Star Printing Co. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Sioux City Newspapers, Inc. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Lee Procurement Solutions Co. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Pantagraph Publishing Co. | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
| Star Publishing Company | United States | Not disclosed | Subsidiary (per SEC Exhibit 21) | Ownership percentage not disclosed | Active | 2025-11-26 |
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated’s Form 10-K Exhibit 21 lists more than 30 subsidiary and affiliated entities in total; the table above shows a representative selection rather than the complete list, and does not state whether each relationship is direct or indirect.
Recent structural changes
No verified acquisitions, disposals, mergers or reorganisations affecting Lee Enterprises, Incorporated’s group structure were identified for the period since fiscal 2025. The most significant recent corporate-level change identified was a change in equity ownership rather than a change in the group’s subsidiary structure; that transaction is described in the Shareholders block of this profile.
Data availability
Subsidiary information for Lee Enterprises, Incorporated is partial: it is limited to what the company discloses in its SEC Exhibit 21 filing, which does not include jurisdictions of incorporation or ownership percentages, and it does not identify any ultimate parent because none is verified. Zavia’s registry feed for this company independently reported no parent or subsidiary linkage.
Sources
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 10-K, Exhibit 21 (Subsidiaries of the Registrant), US SEC EDGAR, filed 2025-11-26 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/58361/000005836125000040/lee10-k9292025ex21.htm
- Lee Enterprises, Inc, Form 10-K for fiscal year ended September 28, 2025, US SEC EDGAR, filed 2025-11-26 – https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/58361/000005836125000040/lee-20250928.htm
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED?
It is a Delaware corporation and US media company that publishes daily and weekly newspapers and digital news platforms across the United States, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Buffalo News.
Where is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED registered?
It is incorporated in Delaware (incorporated December 28, 2001) and is foreign-qualified to do business in Washington State under UBI number 601877006, with its principal executive offices in Davenport, Iowa.
What is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's current registration status?
Active, according to the Washington Secretary of State registry.
Is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED publicly traded?
Yes. Its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol LEE.
What was LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's revenue in its latest reported fiscal year?
Approximately $562 million in total operating revenue for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2025, per its Form 10-K filed November 26, 2025.
How many employees does LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED have?
Approximately 2,400 full-time employees as of fiscal year-end September 28, 2025, of whom about 250 were represented by labor unions.
Did LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED suffer a cyberattack?
Yes. A ransomware attack beginning around February 1, 2025 encrypted critical business systems; the Qilin ransomware group later claimed responsibility, and the personal data of approximately 39,779 individuals was affected.
Who owns LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED?
Following a $50 million equity investment that closed on February 5, 2026, investor David M. Hoffmann and related reporting persons hold approximately 52% of outstanding common stock, per an SEC Schedule 13D/A filing; the remainder is held by institutional and public investors.
Who leads LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's management?
Nathan E. Bekke was confirmed as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Joshua P. Rinehults as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, on April 23, 2026, following an interim leadership period.
Who chairs LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's board of directors?
David Hoffmann became chairman of the board upon closing of the company's $50 million equity investment on February 5, 2026.
Does LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED have a parent company?
No verified corporate parent has been identified. Its shares are publicly traded, and a majority equity position is held by an individual investor rather than a corporate parent.
Does LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED have subsidiaries?
Yes. Its fiscal 2025 Form 10-K Exhibit 21 discloses more than 30 subsidiary and affiliated entities, including Pulitzer Inc. and The Buffalo News, Inc.
Was LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED the target of a hostile takeover attempt?
Yes, historically. Alden Global Capital made an unsolicited $24-per-share offer in November 2021, which Lee's board rejected using a shareholder rights plan; Alden abandoned the pursuit by late 2022 after losing board-related litigation.
What industry does LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED operate in?
Newspaper publishing (SIC code 2711), including print and digital news, advertising and digital marketing services delivered through its Amplified Digital platform.
What is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's company registration number?
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's registration number is 601877006, filed with Washington Secretary of State in United States. Its current status on the register is active.
Is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED still an active company?
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's status on Washington Secretary of State is listed as active.
When was LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED incorporated?
LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED was incorporated on 28 December 2001, according to Washington Secretary of State.
What is LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's registered address?
The registered address on file for LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED is DAVENPORT, United States.
Can Zavia monitor changes to LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's ownership over time?
This profile reflects a point-in-time snapshot from Washington Secretary of State. Zavia's monitoring API can track changes to LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's registered shareholders, officers, and group structure going forward, flagging updates as they're filed rather than requiring a manual recheck.
Can I access LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's data through an API?
Yes. Zavia's API connects directly to official government ownership registries across 195 countries and territories, including United States, so records like LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED's registration, shareholder, UBO, and group-structure data can be queried programmatically instead of viewed one page at a time.
Where does this company information come from, and how current is it?
This record is sourced directly from Washington Secretary of State and was last synced on 11 August 2026.