Brokerages Set Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) Target Price at $225.50

Shares of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $251.2857.

NXST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Nexstar Media Group from $218.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Nexstar Media Group from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Nexstar Media Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised targets and reiterated buys/overweights — Benchmark boosted its target to $300 and kept a Buy, Wells Fargo raised its target to $290 with an Overweight, and Guggenheim raised its target to $290 and kept a Buy. These upgrades imply meaningful upside and likely helped push the stock higher. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 revenue ($1.29B) came in roughly above consensus ($1.25B) but was down ~13% YoY, showing top-line resilience even as advertising weakness persists. Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: Company earnings call/transcript coverage and analyst commentary highlight that NXST’s underlying operations appear stable and that on a non‑GAAP forward multiple it looks inexpensive versus peers — a valuation point investors may focus on if regulatory risks ease. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Big GAAP EPS miss: Nexstar reported ($5.63) EPS vs. consensus ~$4.01, driven in part by a $381M impairment and the absence of election-year advertising — a material hit that explains part of investor caution despite analyst upgrades. MarketBeat Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal uncertainty around the proposed Tegna acquisition remains a significant overhang; analysts and coverage note that regulatory hurdles could materially affect NXST’s outlook and deal thesis. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~21.5% in February to ~2.2M shares (≈7.8% of float), increasing potential downside pressure or volatility if sentiment turns negative. (Data reported through Feb. 13.)

Institutional Trading of Nexstar Media Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cross Staff Investments Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $203,000. Compound Planning Inc. bought a new position in Nexstar Media Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Nexstar Media Group by 1,595.7% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 114,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,313,000 after purchasing an additional 108,042 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in Nexstar Media Group by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 12,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after buying an additional 2,729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group during the fourth quarter worth $384,000. 95.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nexstar Media Group Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NXST opened at $251.02 on Wednesday. Nexstar Media Group has a 12 month low of $141.66 and a 12 month high of $254.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $217.69 and its 200-day moving average is $204.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.61 billion, a PE ratio of 85.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76.

Nexstar Media Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Nexstar Media Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.13%.

About Nexstar Media Group

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.