The New York Times Company to Post Q4 Earnings: Key Trends to Watch

The New York Times Company NYT is set to announce its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings results on Feb. 4, before the market opens. Key focus areas include subscription growth and trends in advertising revenues.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues is pegged at $790.2 million, indicating an 8.8% rise from the prior-year period.

This diversified media conglomerate is also expected to show improvement in the bottom line. The consensus estimate for earnings per share has remained steady at 88 cents over the past 30 days, suggesting a 10% increase from the year-ago period.

The New York Times Company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.6%, on average. In the last reported quarter, the company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS by 9.3%.

The New York Times Company Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

The New York Times Company price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The New York Times Company Quote

Factors Likely to Have Shaped NYT’s Q4 Outcome

The New York Times Company's emphasis on subscription growth and digital innovation has played an instrumental role in its progress. By continually enhancing its suite of digital offerings, spanning news, games, cooking and sports content, the company has successfully attracted new subscribers while retaining existing ones. This focused approach has helped optimize average revenue per user. In addition, effective content monetization and disciplined cost management are likely to have supported profitability. The growing adoption of bundled and multiproduct subscriptions further strengthens the company’s ecosystem.

On its last earnings call, management projected an 8-10% year-over-year increase in total subscription revenues for the fourth quarter, with digital-only subscription revenues anticipated to rise 13-16%. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for subscription revenues is pegged at $508.8 million, implying 9% growth, while digital-only subscription revenues are estimated at $383.4 million, suggesting a 14.5% increase.

The New York Times Company's expanding subscriber base is central to its growth strategy. The consensus estimate indicates the digital-only subscriber count to be 12.1 million by the end of the fourth quarter. This growth solidifies its influence and market standing, positioning it as an attractive platform for advertisers seeking an engaged audience. 

In line with this, The New York Times Company has made significant strides in reducing dependence on traditional advertising by focusing on digital avenues. Management anticipates mid-to-high-teens growth in digital advertising revenues. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for digital advertising revenues stands at $138.1 million, indicating a 17.1% increase.

Despite these positive trends, the company continues to face some challenges. Print subscription and advertising revenues are likely to have declined year over year, reflecting the ongoing shift toward digital consumption. The consensus estimate for print subscription revenues stands at $125.4 million, down 4.8%, while print advertising revenues are expected to fall 8% to $43.4 million. Additionally, higher spending on product development, marketing and administrative functions may have weighed on margins. Management had guided a 6-7% increase in adjusted operating costs for the quarter under review.

What the Zacks Model Predicts for NYT

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for The New York Times Company this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here. 

The New York Times Company has a Zacks Rank #2 but an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks With the Favorable Combination

Here are companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

IPG Photonics IPGP is set to report fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 12. It has an Earnings ESP of +15.08% and sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $245.8 million, which suggests a 4.9% rise from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
 
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IPG Photonics’ fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at 25 cents per share, up by a penny over the past 30 days, indicating an increase of 38.9% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. 
 
MKS Inc. MKSI is set to report fourth-quarter 2025 results on Feb. 17. It has an Earnings ESP of +2.68% and sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.03 billion, which calls for a 10.2% jump from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. 
 
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MKS’ fourth-quarter earnings is pegged at $2.45 per share, up by 20 cents over the past 30 days, implying a rise of approximately 14% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. 
 
Analog Devices, Inc. ADI is slated to report first-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Feb. 18. It has an Earnings ESP of +2.98% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.12 billion, which suggests a 28.7% rise from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. 
 
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Analog Devices’ first-quarter earnings is pegged at $2.30 per share, revised upward by 2 cents over the past 30 days, calling for a surge of 41.1% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure. 

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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