Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) Stock

Nexstar Media Group (NASDAQ:NXST) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 15.53% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $218.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Nexstar Media Group from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Nexstar Media Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on Nexstar Media Group from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $251.29.

Nexstar Media Group Trading Up 2.0%

NXST opened at $251.02 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $204.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 1.87. Nexstar Media Group has a fifty-two week low of $141.66 and a fifty-two week high of $254.30. The company has a market cap of $7.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.85.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nexstar Media Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NXST. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Nexstar Media Group by 43.3% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 430,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,209,000 after purchasing an additional 130,283 shares during the period. Momentum Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,798,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 642,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,070,000 after acquiring an additional 75,228 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nexstar Media Group by 63.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 488,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,557,000 after acquiring an additional 188,695 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.30% of the company’s stock.

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.)

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.