(RealTimeTraders.com) - Wednesday morning, Bear Stearns downgraded Knight-Ridder, Inc. (KRI) shares. The brokerage also trimmed its 2003 and 2004 EPS estimates for the company.

Analyst Kevin Gruneich said soft newspaper advertising prompted him to cut his 2003 EPS estimate falls to $3.60 from $3.70, and 2004 estimate to $4.05 from $4.25.

Elaborating, the analyst said July ad performance was disappointing with retail being key culprit. Noting that this performance was despite easy comparisons, the analyst expects follow-through in softness.

All these said, Bear Stearns lowered its rating to Peer Perform from Outperform. On Tuesday, the stock closed at $68.06.

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