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Side-by-side financial comparison of LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc (LEE) and Merchants Bancorp (MBIN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Merchants Bancorp is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($175.2M vs $130.1M, roughly 1.3× LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc). Merchants Bancorp runs the higher net margin — 38.6% vs -4.3%, a 43.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, Merchants Bancorp's revenue compounded faster (4.8% CAGR vs -5.8%).
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa.
Ameris Bancorp is an American bank holding company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Through its bank subsidiary, Ameris Bank, the company operates full-service branches in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, and mortgage-only locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. The company offers online and mobile banking options for both consumers and businesses.
LEE vs MBIN — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $130.1M | $175.2M |
| Net Profit | $-5.6M | $67.7M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 4.0% | — |
| Net Margin | -4.3% | 38.6% |
| Revenue YoY | -10.0% | — |
| Net Profit YoY | 66.5% | 16.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.92 | $1.25 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | — | $175.2M | ||
| Q4 25 | $130.1M | $185.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $139.1M | $171.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $141.3M | $179.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $137.4M | $145.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $144.6M | $193.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $158.6M | $149.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $150.6M | $159.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | $67.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-5.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.4M | $54.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.9M | $38.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-12.5M | $58.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-16.7M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $-10.1M | $61.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-4.3M | $76.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 4.0% | 39.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | -1.0% | 37.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.3% | 27.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -3.3% | 52.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | -2.3% | 66.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | -2.3% | 54.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.3% | 62.2% |
| Q1 26 | — | 38.6% | ||
| Q4 25 | -4.3% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | -4.6% | 32.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | -1.4% | 21.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -9.1% | 39.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | -11.6% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | -6.4% | 41.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | -2.8% | 47.9% |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.25 | ||
| Q4 25 | $-0.92 | $1.28 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-1.02 | $0.97 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-0.31 | $0.60 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.07 | $0.93 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-2.80 | $1.84 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-1.68 | $1.17 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.73 | $1.49 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $12.6M | $83.2M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $32.0M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $-48.7M | $2.3B |
| Total Assets | $592.6M | $20.3B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.01× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | $83.2M | ||
| Q4 25 | $12.6M | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.0M | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.1M | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7M | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $6.1M | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $9.6M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $13.4M | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $32.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | $-48.7M | $2.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | $-43.3M | $2.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $-40.5M | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $-38.9M | $2.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $-26.7M | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-9.9M | $1.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.0M | $1.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | $20.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | $592.6M | $19.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $601.7M | $19.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $622.7M | $19.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $623.9M | $18.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $633.0M | $18.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $649.2M | $18.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $677.5M | $18.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.01× | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | — | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $4.5M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $3.7M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 2.9% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.6% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.5M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.5M | $-341.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-6.3M | $29.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.9M | $-121.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-790.0K | $148.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-7.3M | $-835.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-261.0K | $-492.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-1.9M | $51.1M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $3.7M | $-362.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-8.3M | $24.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $8.3M | $-125.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.2M | $141.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-8.9M | $-853.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-2.9M | $-497.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-5.5M | $45.8M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 2.9% | -195.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | -6.0% | 14.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.9% | -70.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -1.6% | 96.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | -6.1% | -440.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -1.8% | -332.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | -3.6% | 28.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.6% | 11.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 3.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.4% | 2.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.0% | 4.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.1% | 9.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.7% | 3.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.4% | 3.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.54× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | -3.19× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 2.54× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | -8.04× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.67× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LEE
| Advertising And Marketing Services | $60.0M | 46% |
| Subscription And Circulation | $57.7M | 44% |
| Other | $12.4M | 10% |
MBIN
| Net Interest Income | $128.6M | 73% |
| Noninterest Income | $46.6M | 27% |
