Sinclair (NASDAQ:SBGI) Shares Up 18% After Dividend Announcement

Sinclair, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBGI)’s stock price was up 18% during mid-day trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $16.17 and last traded at $16.3490. Approximately 164,616 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 336,538 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.86.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Sinclair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -59.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SBGI. Zacks Research upgraded Sinclair from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Sinclair from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Sinclair in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sinclair from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sinclair from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.00.

Sinclair Stock Up 17.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.70 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $14.89 and its 200-day moving average is $14.68.

Sinclair (NASDAQ:SBGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.07. Sinclair had a negative net margin of 3.53% and a negative return on equity of 67.24%. The company had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $840.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sinclair, Inc. will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Sinclair News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Sinclair this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target to $30 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling strong analyst conviction and a sizable upside case that likely boosted demand for the shares. Benchmark PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha upgraded Sinclair to Buy, highlighting 14% Q4 core advertising growth, a secure dividend yield and a near-term path to deleveraging driven by political ad tailwinds. Seeking Alpha Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a $0.25 quarterly dividend (~6.1% yield annualized), which increases income appeal to yield-seeking investors and supports the stock’s rally. (Ex-dividend date Mar 10; pay Mar 24.)
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 operational positives: management reported 14% core advertising growth and outperformance at Tennis Channel, which investors view as proof of underlying revenue mix improvement. Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — Sinclair reported $0.04 EPS vs. consensus of ($0.03), a surprise to the upside that helped calm near-term earnings concerns. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target modestly to $17 but kept an Equal Weight rating, a lukewarm signal compared with the more bullish Benchmark call. Wells Fargo PT
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 revenue guidance was narrowed to roughly $3.4–$3.5B (versus consensus near $3.5B) — guidance is roughly in line but leaves little margin for upside relative to expectations. Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Management noted no material debt maturities until 2029, which reduces near-term refinancing risk even as leverage remains a focus. Debt Maturities
• Negative Sentiment: Top-line weakness and balance-sheet concerns persist: revenue fell ~16.7% YoY in Q4, the company reported a negative net margin (-1.35%) and negative ROE, and net leverage remains elevated (reported ~5.3x in analyst commentary). These fundamentals limit valuation upside until clear deleveraging occurs. Earnings / Transcript

Insider Buying and Selling at Sinclair

In related news, Director Howard E. Friedman sold 14,713 shares of Sinclair stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.11, for a total value of $222,313.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 77,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,820.35. The trade was a 15.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Benson E. Legg sold 6,548 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.81, for a total transaction of $103,523.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 71,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,125,118.65. This trade represents a 8.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 50,637 shares of company stock worth $815,535. 41.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sinclair

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sinclair by 142.0% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Sinclair in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Sinclair by 175.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,882 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Sinclair in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sinclair in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. 41.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sinclair Company Profile

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc (NASDAQ: SBGI) is a media and entertainment company headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Founded in 1971 as a single UHF television station operator, Sinclair has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the largest owners of local television stations in the United States. Over its history, the company has pursued a diversified portfolio that includes both traditional broadcast assets and newer digital platforms.

At its core, Sinclair operates over 190 television stations affiliated with the major national broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW and MyNetworkTV.