The takeaway
New York Times Company shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+3.7%) and softest in September (−2.5%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 70% of years, averaging +3.4%, about +1.3 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
New York Times Company's most dependable month has been January, higher in 8 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in February (+4.4 pts); it has trailed the market most in March (−2.9 pts).
“vs S&P” is New York Times Company’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating New York Times Company’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, January has closed higher 80% of the time versus 80% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) January return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Dependability is the through-line here. January stands out, higher in 8 of 10 Januaries, but it heads a clutch of months that pull the year reliably upward.
The headline flatters a touch — its +3.7% average sits well above the +1.7% a typical year delivers, the work of a few big Januaries. That reliability comes with real swings, mind — even January ranges by 10.2% from year to year, so any single year can land far from the average. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: January has cleared the S&P 500 by +3.9 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages January only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: February, April, and June have also closed higher more often than not. On the other side of the ledger, September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 2 months that average a loss (−2.5%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in March, September, and April. Its roughest month on record was a −18.4% June in 2022 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: January aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (January), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +3.7%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −2.5%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +3.7% and closing higher in 8 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −2.5% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade