Nexstar Media Group, Inc. $NXST Stake Lessened by Faithward Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Faithward Advisors LLC sharply reduced its Nexstar stake, cutting holdings by 92.2% in the fourth quarter to 1,672 shares worth about $339,000.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with 95.3% of Nexstar’s stock held by institutions even as some funds trimmed positions and others added to theirs.
• Insider selling continued, including recent sales by Dana Zimmer and Blake Russell, though the transactions were disclosed as being tied to tax withholding from vesting equity awards.

Faithward Advisors LLC cut its stake in Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST - Free Report) by 92.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,672 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,893 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC's holdings in Nexstar Media Group were worth $339,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted 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 valued at $284,738,000 after acquiring an additional 10,949 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,181,727 shares of the company's stock valued at $239,950,000 after acquiring an additional 23,360 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 27.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 882,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,598,000 after acquiring an additional 187,864 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 773,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $157,114,000 after acquiring an additional 13,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 118.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 543,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,795,000 after acquiring an additional 294,308 shares in the last quarter. 95.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Dana Zimmer sold 876 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $149,629.56. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $990,698. This represents a 13.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Blake Russell sold 261 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total transaction of $44,581.41. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 28,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,833,239.76. This trade represents a 0.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 22,813 shares of company stock worth $4,174,731 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Nexstar Media Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NXST opened at $172.11 on Wednesday. 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 $5.26 billion, a PE ratio of 36.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.91. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.00 and a 52 week high of $254.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $190.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.01.

Nexstar Media Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Nexstar Media Group's dividend payout ratio is 159.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NXST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $270.00 to $255.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Nexstar Media Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Nexstar Media Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $252.00 to $220.00 in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $259.67.

Key Stories Impacting Nexstar Media Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders approved all proposals at Nexstar’s 2026 annual meeting, including board elections, executive pay, auditor ratification, and the 2026 long-term incentive plan. This removes an overhang and signals shareholder backing of management. Nexstar Media Group Shareholders Approve All Proposals at 2026 Annual Shareholder Meeting
• Positive Sentiment: Nexstar’s TEGNA-owned Locked On Podcast Network said it is on track to reach 1 billion listens, views, and social engagements by the end of 2026, highlighting strong audience growth and engagement in digital media. Locked On Podcast Network Approaches One Billion Listens, Views and Social Engagements
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple Nexstar executives, including the CFO, COO, and several EVPs, sold shares at the same price to cover tax withholding tied to vesting equity awards. These sales were routine and disclosed in SEC filings, but the volume of insider selling may still weigh on sentiment. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Over the past six months, insiders have sold NXST shares repeatedly with no reported open-market purchases, which can raise caution among investors even though the transactions appear compensation-related. Insider buying and selling alert

Nexstar Media Group Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.