AAOI vs ERIC vs NXST Stock Comparison

Applied Optoelectronics, Ericsson Lm Telephone and Nexstar Media Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ERIC Ericsson Lm Telephone Co
$11.06 +17.4% 1M +13.3% 1Y
Market cap
$37.29B
P/E
18.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$24.56B
Div. yield
2.80%
Networking Equipment Technology
7 wins
NXST Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
$164.49 +1.7% 1M -14.0% 1Y
Market cap
$5.07B
P/E
26.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.88B
Div. yield
4.52%
Television Broadcasting Communication Services
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Ericsson Lm Telephone leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Ericsson Lm Telephone 7, Applied Optoelectronics 3, Nexstar Media 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAAOIERICNXSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.94B $37.29B $5.07B ERIC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -117.6x 18.1x 26.8x ERIC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 115.8x 17.0x 5.0x NXST
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +61.8% -38.5% +10.5% AAOI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -9.6% 8.3% 3.2% ERIC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -4.2% 20.0% 5.8% ERIC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 13.8x -0.6x 8.3x ERIC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 2.80% 4.52% NXST
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +123.0% +13.3% -14.0% AAOI
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +60.8%/yr +0.3%/yr +1.9%/yr AAOI
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 139.0% 36.3% 36.6% ERIC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 33/100 61/100 50/100 ERIC

Percentile Scorecard

AAOIERICNXST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAAOIERICNXST
Valuation 12 #98 of 111 88 #14 of 111 67 #18 of 53
Growth 54 #50 of 108 45 #60 of 108 28 #32 of 44
Profitability 17 #87 of 104 86 #15 of 104 71 #13 of 42
Financial Health 72 #33 of 115 39 #71 of 115 40 #37 of 61
Shareholder Returns 9 #71 of 78 46 #43 of 78 44 #15 of 26
Overall 33 61 50
  • AAOI ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • ERIC ranked among 121 companies in Computer Hardware
  • NXST ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAAOIERICNXSTSPY
1 month -15.1%+17.4%+1.7% +0.9%
3 months +7.4%+13.0%-16.5% +5.9%
6 months -46.2%-3.3%-18.9% +8.5%
Year to date +135.9%+14.6%-19.0% +13.3%
1 year +123.0%+13.3%-14.0% +12.4%
3 years +1,067.9%+153.7%+21.4% +88.1%
3 years, per year +127.0%+36.4%+6.7% +23.5%
5 years +974.8%+1.7%+9.7% +68.2%
5 years, per year +60.8%+0.3%+1.9% +11.0%
10 years +317.6%+127.1%+237.8% +263.4%
10 years, per year +15.4%+8.5%+12.9% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAAOIERICNXSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 139.0%36.3%36.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 127.1%36.5%37.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 4.321.030.44 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.890.37-0.38 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.6%-65.8%-39.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -63.1%-19.5%-35.1% -0.9%
52-week high $223.10$13.74$253.64 $779.14
52-week low $19.49$9.15$154.70 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAAOIERICNXST
P/E now vs peer median -117.6xmedian 33.5x 18.1xmedian 33.5x 26.8xmedian 18.7x
P/S now vs peer median 11.6xmedian 2.8x 1.5xmedian 2.8x 0.9xmedian 0.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -202.3xmedian 19.6x 9.3xmedian 19.6x 11.9xmedian 10.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median -11.5xmedian 29.8x 9.9xmedian 29.8x 6.8xmedian 8.9x
P/B now vs peer median 4.2xmedian 2.9x 3.3xmedian 2.9x 2.2xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median -3.54median 1.10 0.42median 1.10 -0.84median 0.49

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAAOIERICNXST
Revenue $595.97M $24.56B $5.88B
Gross profit $172.33M $11.51B $3.21B
Operating income -$67.41M $2.90B $1.04B
Net income -$57.02M $2.04B $168.00M
Free cash flow -$600.81M $3.76B $743.00M
R&D $107.61M $5.22B –
EPS (diluted) $-0.70 $0.61 $6.08
Cash & equivalents $499.74M $5.11B $218.00M
Total debt $57.26M $3.73B $11.74B
Shares (diluted) 81.57M 3.34B 30.91M
Enterprise value $5.66B $14.90B $3.87B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAAOIERICNXST
P/E -117.6x 18.1x 26.8x
P/FCF -11.5x 9.9x 6.8x
P/Operating cash flow -52.6x 10.8x 5.7x
P/S 11.6x 1.5x 0.9x
P/B 4.2x 3.3x 2.2x
P/Tangible book 4.2x 3.4x -1.8x
EV/EBITDA -202.3x 9.3x 11.9x
EV/EBIT -96.4x 12.1x 15.9x
EV/Revenue 10.9x 1.4x 2.8x
EV/FCF -10.8x 9.4x 22.3x
EV/Operating cash flow -49.3x 10.2x 18.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -3.54 0.42 -0.84

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAAOIERICNXST
Revenue growth (1Y) 61.8% -38.5% 10.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 40.9% -2.0% 3.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 62.0% 3.7% 4.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 73.3% 4.0% 0.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) -40.6% -18.4% -11.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -2.8% 55.0% 0.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 63.4% -18.7% -71.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 6.2% 43.4% -35.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 74.5% -17.7% -70.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 33.2% 43.1% -31.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.2% 4.3% -35.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -168.6% 44.0% -11.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -146.3% 6.1% -40.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -294.2% 34.7% -12.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAAOIERICNXST
Gross margin 28.9% 46.8% 54.6%
EBITDA margin -5.4% 15.4% 23.7%
Operating margin -11.3% 11.8% 17.8%
Pretax margin -10.6% 11.2% 3.6%
Net margin -9.6% 8.3% 3.2%
FCF margin -100.8% 15.3% 12.6%
Operating cash flow margin -22.1% 14.0% 15.2%
Return on equity -4.1% 18.7% 8.3%
Return on assets -2.9% 6.8% 1.0%
Return on invested capital -4.2% 20.0% 5.8%
Return on capital employed -4.5% 17.8% 6.3%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.8x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.3x 1.7x 5.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.6% – 1.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAAOIERICNXST
Debt / assets 2.5% 12.4% 66.3%
Debt / equity 0.0x 0.3x 5.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 13.8x -0.6x 8.3x
Debt / FCF -0.1x 1.0x 15.8x
Liabilities / assets 27.5% 63.1% 87.2%
Equity / assets 72.5% 36.9% 12.8%
Interest coverage -19.1x – 2.1x
Current ratio 2.8x 1.2x 1.6x
Quick ratio 1.9x 0.8x 1.4x
Cash ratio 1.2x 0.4x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 6.81 – 1.06

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAAOIERICNXST
Dividend yield – 2.8% 4.5%
Net buyback yield -19.5% -2.2% –
Shareholder yield -19.5% 0.6% 4.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 50.9% 134.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 27.7% 30.4%
Dividend growth (1Y) – -13.4% 2.7%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – -7.7% 10.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAAOIERICNXST
Forward P/E 115.8xFY2026 17.0xFY2026 5.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.71FY2026 $0.65FY2026 $32.94FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – -30.9%FY2026 +998.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +646.5% -3.1% -45.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $994.70MFY2026 $24.16BFY2026 $8.32BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +118.3%FY2026 -8.1%FY2026 +68.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +185.6% +1.0% -4.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAAOIERICNXST
Held by institutions 60.5% 9.5% 100.0%
Institutions holding 481 388 486
Change in shares held, QoQ -3.5% +0.4% +4.0%
Institutions buying 313 219 220
Institutions selling 143 110 181
Buyers to sellers 2.19 1.99 1.22

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AAOIERICNXST
AAOI 1.00 0.23 0.01
ERIC 0.23 1.00 0.09
NXST 0.01 0.09 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AAOI, ERIC and NXST?

Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) $6.94B, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) $37.29B, Nexstar Media (NXST) $5.07B.

Which stock is cheaper, AAOI, ERIC and NXST?

Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -117.6x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 18.1x, Nexstar Media (NXST) 26.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nexstar Media (NXST) is cheapest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 115.8x, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 17.0x, Nexstar Media (NXST) 5.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +61.8%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) -38.5%, Nexstar Media (NXST) +10.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) has the highest net margin (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -9.6%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 8.3%, Nexstar Media (NXST) 3.2%). On return on invested capital, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) leads (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) -4.2%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 20.0%, Nexstar Media (NXST) 5.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) returned the most: Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +123.0%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) +13.3%, Nexstar Media (NXST) -14.0%. Over five years, Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) compounded fastest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) +60.8%/yr, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) +0.3%/yr, Nexstar Media (NXST) +1.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Nexstar Media (NXST) has the highest dividend yield: Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 2.80%, Nexstar Media (NXST) 4.52%. Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) has been the steadiest (Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) 139.0%, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) 36.3%, Nexstar Media (NXST) 36.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AAOI, ERIC and NXST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ericsson Lm Telephone (ERIC) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.