Sinclair (NASDAQ:SBGI) Given New $17.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Sinclair (NASDAQ:SBGI) had its price target upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $16.00 to $17.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on SBGI. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sinclair from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Sinclair in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Sinclair from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Sinclair from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sinclair from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.00.

Sinclair Price Performance

Shares of SBGI opened at $16.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.77, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.01. Sinclair has a fifty-two week low of $11.89 and a fifty-two week high of $17.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Sinclair (NASDAQ:SBGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.07. Sinclair had a negative return on equity of 67.24% and a negative net margin of 3.53%.The firm had revenue of $836.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $840.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sinclair will post 4.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Sinclair Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. Sinclair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -59.52%.

Insider Activity at Sinclair

In other news, Director Howard E. Friedman sold 14,713 shares of Sinclair stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.11, for a total transaction of $222,313.43. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 77,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,820.35. This trade represents a 15.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Benson E. Legg sold 6,548 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.81, for a total value of $103,523.88. Following the sale, the director directly owned 71,165 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,118.65. This trade represents a 8.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 50,637 shares of company stock worth $815,535 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 41.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sinclair

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Management Corp VA raised its position in Sinclair by 6.2% during the third quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 1,655,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,991,000 after acquiring an additional 97,226 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of Sinclair by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 3,940,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,462,000 after purchasing an additional 200,415 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Sinclair by 15.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 971,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,431,000 after buying an additional 129,277 shares in the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Sinclair during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,617,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in Sinclair by 109.4% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 131,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,821,000 after buying an additional 68,857 shares during the last quarter. 41.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Sinclair

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

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.