Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $16.78 Million Holdings in Nexstar Media Group, Inc. $NXST

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) by 685.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,817 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 81,005 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Nexstar Media Group worth $16,784,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,402,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,738,000 after acquiring an additional 10,949 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,181,727 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,950,000 after purchasing an additional 23,360 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 882,322 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,598,000 after purchasing an additional 187,864 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 773,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,114,000 after purchasing an additional 13,084 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Nexstar Media Group by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 632,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,408,000 after purchasing an additional 40,177 shares in the last quarter. 95.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Nexstar Media Group news, CEO Perry A. Sook purchased 12,235 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $162.26 per share, with a total value of $1,985,251.10. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 899,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $145,878,879.44. The trade was a 1.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Dana Zimmer sold 915 shares of Nexstar Media Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.42, for a total transaction of $161,424.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $1,012,297.96. This trade represents a 13.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 22,813 shares of company stock worth $4,174,731. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Nexstar Media Group Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:NXST opened at $183.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.53, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 1.76. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.91. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.47 and a 52-week high of $254.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $202.15.

Nexstar Media Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Nexstar Media Group’s dividend payout ratio is 159.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on NXST shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Nexstar Media Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $252.00 to $220.00 in a report on Friday, April 10th. Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Nexstar Media Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nexstar Media Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.67.

Nexstar Media Group Profile

Nexstar Media Group, Inc is a diversified American media company engaged primarily in the ownership, operation and strategic affiliation of local television stations, digital platforms and cable networks. The company provides a range of broadcast content, including local news, sports coverage, entertainment programming and syndicated shows, reaching audiences in more than 100 television markets across the United States.

Founded in 1996 by entrepreneur Perry Sook and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Nexstar has built its presence through organic growth and a series of high-profile acquisitions.