New York Times total subscribers in Q4 2026

The New York Times Company is progressing towards its 2027 subscriber goal. The company ended Q3 2026 with 13.76 million total subscribers, comprising 13.22 million digital-only and 540,000 print subscribers ^[1]. During Q3, 420,000 net digital-only subscribers were added ^[1][2]. This puts the company on track for its 15 million subscriber target by year-end 2027, which requires approximately 275,000 net additions per quarter for the remaining six quarters ^[1][3]. Q2 2026 additions of 280,000 fell short of Visible Alpha's estimate and Q1 additions, leading to a 13-15% stock selloff, though Q3’s 420,000 additions represented a recovery ^{[3][4][5][6][7]}. The 2026 pace is below the second half of 2025’s quarterly digital-only net additions of 460,000 and 450,000 ^[3]. Management reiterated the 15 million target, identifying video as a major untapped market opportunity still in production and noting over 150 million registered users. CFO Will Bardeen described the target as a milestone, not an end state ^[8].

Q3 financial results exceeded expectations, with strong Q4 guidance. For Q3 2026, total revenue rose 9.7% year-over-year to $768.5 million ^[9][10][11]. Digital-only subscription revenue increased 14.6% to $421.3 million, and digital advertising revenue grew 12.0% to $109.9 million ^[9][10][11]. Adjusted operating profit reached $149.6 million, up 13.9% year-over-year, resulting in a 19.5% margin ^[9][10][11]. Adjusted diluted EPS of $0.68 surpassed the $0.65 consensus estimate ^[9][10][11]. For Q4 2026, the company forecasts digital-only subscription revenue to increase 12-15% and total subscription revenue by 9-11% ^{[12][10][13][14][15][16]}. Digital advertising is projected for high-single-to-low-double-digit growth, with total advertising in the mid-single-digits ^{[12][10][13][14][15][16]}. Adjusted operating costs are expected to rise 6-8%, a decrease from prior 8-9% guidance ^{[12][10][13][14][15][16]}. Analysts anticipate Q4 2026 EPS of $0.96 on revenue of $877.34 million ^[14][15][16]. The company reported $3.8 million in pretax costs related to generative AI litigation during Q3 2026 ^[9][10][11]. Free cash flow for the first nine months of 2026 was $435.8 million, up from $392.9 million in 2025, with cash and marketable securities at $1.3 billion ^[9][10][11].

Analyst sentiment remains positive, supporting shareholder returns. The average analyst price target is $76.13, ranging from a high of $85 to a low of $63, against a current price of approximately $67.96 ^{[17][18][19][20]}. Morgan Stanley lowered its target to $75 from $90 on October 11, 2026, citing near-term investment impacting earnings growth ^[14]. Guggenheim, conversely, upgraded the stock to Buy with an $82 target on September 15, 2026 ^[14]. The stock trades at approximately 27 times TTM earnings, within a 52-week range of $54.10-$87.10 ^[20]. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per share, a 27.8% increase, marking the eighth consecutive year of dividend raises. The ex-dividend date was October 7, 2026, with a yield of approximately 1.44% ^[18][20]. Q4 2026 earnings are anticipated on February 27, 2027, according to public.com and FXEmpire, or February 10, 2027, per MarketWatch ^{[9][10][14][15][16][21]}. Prediction market traders on Kalshi show interest in topics like Athletic, Cooking, and Retention for the next earnings call ^[22].