Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $255.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Nexstar Media Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nexstar Media Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $256.67.

Nexstar Media Group Price Performance

Nexstar Media Group stock opened at $190.02 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $167.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $191.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.43. Nexstar Media Group has a 12-month low of $153.17 and a 12-month high of $254.30.

Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported $7.92 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.08 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.07 billion. Nexstar Media Group had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 32.25%. The business’s revenue was up 78.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Nexstar Media Group will post 32.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Nexstar Media Group

In other news, Director Bernadette S. Aulestia sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.80, for a total transaction of $56,040.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $818,744.40. This trade represents a 6.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Andrew Alford sold 2,823 shares of Nexstar Media Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.69, for a total value of $467,742.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,942,880.94. The trade was a 19.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,596 shares of company stock valued at $1,733,169 over the last 90 days. 7.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Nexstar Media Group by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 643,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,427,000 after purchasing an additional 11,477 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 488,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,381,000 after purchasing an additional 7,661 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 17.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 173,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,332,000 after purchasing an additional 25,193 shares in the last quarter. Capital Management Corp VA lifted its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 154,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,916,000 after purchasing an additional 4,865 shares during the period. Finally, Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 142,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,096,000 after purchasing an additional 3,547 shares during the period. 95.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Nexstar Media Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Nexstar Media Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $250 from $249 and reaffirmed its Overweight rating. The new target implies about 31.6% upside from the cited $190.02 share price. Wells Fargo rating information
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue reached a record $2.13 billion, up 78% year over year and above the $2.07 billion analyst estimate. Nexstar said political advertising revenue reached a record $1.1 billion for 2026, 31% higher than in the 2022 midterm cycle, providing a major boost to results. Nexstar Q3 revenue and political advertising
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $7.92 per share, below the $8.08 consensus estimate. The earnings miss tempers the otherwise strong revenue growth. Nexstar Q3 earnings results

About Nexstar Media Group

Nexstar Media Group is a U.S. media company focused on local television broadcasting and national programming. It owns and operates local television stations across the country, many affiliated with major broadcast networks, and produces local news, sports, and other programming for viewers in their communities.

The company also operates NewsNation, a national news and entertainment network, and holds a majority interest in The CW. Its digital businesses distribute news and other content online, while advertising and fees for carrying its stations and networks are among its business activities.

Founded by Perry Sook in 1996 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, Nexstar expanded its station portfolio through acquisitions, including its 2019 acquisition of Tribune Media.