Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 154 Shares of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,204 shares of the company’s stock after selling 154 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Nexstar Media Group were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 67.8% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 26,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,339,000 after purchasing an additional 10,603 shares during the period. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Nexstar Media Group during the third quarter worth $3,758,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Nexstar Media Group by 0.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,083,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,149,000 after acquiring an additional 7,117 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in Nexstar Media Group by 661.4% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 8,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,434,000 after acquiring an additional 7,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in Nexstar Media Group by 680.9% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 17,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,847,000 after acquiring an additional 15,014 shares in the last quarter. 95.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nexstar Media Group Price Performance

Nexstar Media Group stock opened at $174.52 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $158.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.82. The stock has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.47. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $146.04 and a 12-month high of $191.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.98.

Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $7.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.22 by ($1.66). The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Nexstar Media Group had a net margin of 11.39% and a return on equity of 26.03%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Nexstar Media Group, Inc. will post 21.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Nexstar Media Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.86 dividend. This is a boost from Nexstar Media Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.26%. Nexstar Media Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.56%.

Insider Activity at Nexstar Media Group

In other Nexstar Media Group news, CFO Lee Ann Gliha sold 330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.23, for a total transaction of $52,215.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 8,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,362,360.30. This trade represents a 3.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary Weitman sold 1,241 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.21, for a total value of $219,917.61. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $704,409.75. This trade represents a 23.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 126,250 shares of company stock worth $20,450,616 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NXST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered Nexstar Media Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Nexstar Media Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded Nexstar Media Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $190.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $208.43.

Nexstar Media Group Company Profile

Nexstar Media Group, Inc operates as a diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports and entertainment content across the television and digital platforms in the United States. It owns, operates, programs, or provides sales and other services to various markets; and offers television programming services.