Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

NXST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nexstar Media Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $190.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on Nexstar Media Group from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nexstar Media Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $210.29.

Nexstar Media Group Stock Up 2.3 %

NXST traded up $3.81 during trading on Monday, hitting $172.96. The company had a trading volume of 822,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 351,307. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $155.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $163.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.45. 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 has a one year low of $146.04 and a one year high of $191.86.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Perry A. Sook sold 52,808 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.41, for a total value of $8,312,507.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 674,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $106,203,582.54. This represents a 7.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lisbeth Mcnabb sold 875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.00, for a total value of $150,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $989,344. This trade represents a 13.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 127,493 shares of company stock valued at $20,354,366. 6.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nexstar Media Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,496,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Nexstar Media Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,086,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 116,172 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,352,000 after purchasing an additional 12,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nexstar Media Group during the 4th quarter worth $7,075,000. Institutional investors own 95.30% of the company’s stock.

About Nexstar Media Group

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.