NXST vs FWONA vs SBGI Stock Comparison

Nexstar Media, Liberty Media and Sinclair Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
NXST Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
$177.54 +14.2% 1M -9.3% 1Y
Market cap
$5.47B
P/E
29.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.88B
Div. yield
0.04%
Television Broadcasting Communication Services
2 wins
FWONA Liberty Media Corp
$86.75 +4.0% 1M -4.6% 1Y
Market cap
$22.04B
P/E
54.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.34B
Div. yield
–
Live Entertainment Communication Services
8 wins
SBGI Sinclair, Inc.
$12.97 +4.3% 1M -5.1% 1Y
Market cap
$971.59M
P/E
18.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.26B
Div. yield
0.07%
Television Broadcasting Communication Services
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Liberty Media leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Liberty Media 8, Sinclair 2, Nexstar Media 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNXSTFWONASBGILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.47B $22.04B $971.59M FWONA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.1x 54.0x 18.7x SBGI
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 5.4x 46.9x 10.5x NXST
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.5% +12.2% -6.5% FWONA
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.2% 9.4% 1.6% FWONA
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.8% 2.9% 4.7% NXST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 8.3x 3.5x 7.5x FWONA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.04% 0.00% 0.07% SBGI
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -9.3% -4.6% -5.1% FWONA
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.6%/yr +10.7%/yr -13.8%/yr FWONA
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 36.9% 24.6% 45.8% FWONA
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 65/100 45/100 FWONA

Percentile Scorecard

NXSTFWONASBGI

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

AxisNXSTFWONASBGI
Valuation 67 #18 of 53 50 #7 of 13 69 #17 of 53
Growth 28 #32 of 44 70 #4 of 11 16 #37 of 44
Profitability 78 #10 of 42 60 #5 of 11 63 #16 of 42
Financial Health 38 #38 of 61 82 #3 of 12 35 #40 of 61
Shareholder Returns 52 #13 of 26 – 40 #16 of 26
Overall 53 65 45
  • NXST ranked among 61 companies in Advertising and Media
  • FWONA ranked among 13 companies in Live Venues
  • SBGI 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

PeriodNXSTFWONASBGISPY
1 month +14.2%+4.0%+4.3% -2.3%
3 months -7.8%-2.8%-6.8% -0.7%
6 months -10.9%+6.8%-12.1% +4.8%
Year to date -12.6%-2.9%-15.2% +10.3%
1 year -9.3%-4.6%-5.1% +10.3%
3 years +13.2%+49.4%-12.8% +73.0%
3 years, per year +4.2%+14.3%-4.5% +20.1%
5 years +8.4%+66.5%-52.4% +61.9%
5 years, per year +1.6%+10.7%-13.8% +10.1%
10 years +272.2%+218.5%-47.8% +258.6%
10 years, per year +14.0%+12.3%-6.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureNXSTFWONASBGISPY
Volatility, 1Y 36.9%24.6%45.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.9%22.6%42.3% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.420.300.29 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.25-0.19-0.11 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -39.0%-25.7%-67.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -30.0%-11.6%-23.7% -3.5%
52-week high $253.64$98.18$17.00 $779.14
52-week low $154.70$74.51$11.97 $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.

MultipleNXSTFWONASBGI
P/E now vs peer median 27.7xmedian 18.7x 52.7xmedian 52.7x 17.6xmedian 18.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.6x 4.4xmedian 1.5x 0.3xmedian 0.6x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 10.6x 23.2xmedian 18.6x 9.5xmedian 10.6x
P/FCF now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 9.0x 23.3xmedian 17.7x 9.6xmedian 9.0x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 1.6x 2.5xmedian 2.5x 2.4xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median -0.87median 0.49 -10.27median 0.28 -0.50median 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 monthsNXSTFWONASBGI
Revenue $5.88B $4.34B $3.26B
Gross profit $3.21B $1.22B –
Operating income $1.04B $516.00M $215.00M
Net income $168.00M $407.00M $54.00M
Free cash flow $743.00M $823.00M $95.00M
EPS (diluted) $6.08 $1.62 $0.72
Cash & equivalents $218.00M $1.47B $604.00M
Total debt $11.74B $4.92B $4.06B
Shares (diluted) 30.91M 252.00M 72.16M
Enterprise value $4.30B $16.60B -$1.87B

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
MetricNXSTFWONASBGI
P/E 27.7x 52.7x 17.6x
P/FCF 7.1x 23.3x 9.6x
P/Operating cash flow 5.9x 20.2x 5.4x
P/S 0.9x 4.4x 0.3x
P/B 2.3x 2.5x 2.4x
P/Tangible book -1.8x 6.9x 2.6x
EV/EBITDA 12.0x 23.2x 9.5x
EV/EBIT 16.1x 43.9x 20.3x
EV/Revenue 2.9x 5.2x 1.3x
EV/FCF 22.6x 27.5x 46.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 18.8x 23.8x 25.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.87 -10.27 -0.50

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNXSTFWONASBGI
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.5% 12.2% -6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.8% 75.9% -0.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.0% 1,012% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 0.5% 29.5% –
Operating income growth (1Y) -11.9% 49.1% -55.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 0.4% 37.8% -20.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -71.9% 113.5% -1.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -35.6% -34.0% -34.8%
EPS growth (1Y) -70.7% 122.2% 0.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -31.9% -5.1% -35.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -35.3% 18.7% -68.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -11.1% 19.7% -38.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -40.7% 15.6% -79.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.3% 73.7% -46.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNXSTFWONASBGI
Gross margin 54.6% 28.2% –
EBITDA margin 23.7% 22.5% 14.2%
Operating margin 17.8% 11.9% 6.6%
Pretax margin 3.6% 14.3% 0.6%
Net margin 3.2% 9.4% 1.6%
FCF margin 12.6% 19.0% 2.9%
Operating cash flow margin 15.2% 21.9% 5.3%
Return on equity 8.3% 5.3% 15.8%
Return on assets 1.0% 2.6% 1.1%
Return on invested capital 5.8% 2.9% 4.7%
Return on capital employed 6.3% 3.6% 4.4%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.3x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 5.3x 2.3x 3.2x
Stock comp / revenue 1.7% 0.6% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNXSTFWONASBGI
Debt / assets 66.3% 31.0% 74.1%
Debt / equity 5.2x 0.6x 10.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 8.3x 3.5x 7.5x
Debt / FCF 15.8x 6.0x 42.7x
Liabilities / assets 87.2% 52.0% 93.1%
Equity / assets 12.8% 48.0% 6.9%
Interest coverage 2.1x 1.9x 0.6x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.3x 1.9x
Quick ratio 1.4x 1.1x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.9x 0.8x
Altman Z-score 1.07 2.49 0.91

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNXSTFWONASBGI
Dividend yield 4.4% – 7.9%
Net buyback yield – – –
Shareholder yield 4.4% – 7.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) 134.5% – 131.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 30.4% – 74.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 2.7% – 6.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.6% – 1.4%

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.

ConsensusNXSTFWONASBGI
Forward P/E 5.4xFY2026 46.9xFY2026 10.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $32.94FY2026 $1.85FY2026 $1.24FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +998.0%FY2026 -16.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after -45.6% +14.6% -196.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.32BFY2026 $4.97BFY2026 $3.73BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +68.2%FY2026 +10.9%FY2026 +17.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.3% -0.7% -17.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNXSTFWONASBGI
Held by institutions 100.0% 9.3% 44.4%
Institutions holding 487 301 178
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.0% +10.2% +6.0%
Institutions buying 221 154 113
Institutions selling 181 77 36
Buyers to sellers 1.22 2.00 3.14

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.

NXSTFWONASBGI
NXST 1.00 0.12 0.49
FWONA 0.12 1.00 0.18
SBGI 0.49 0.18 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NXST, FWONA and SBGI?

Liberty Media (FWONA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nexstar Media (NXST) $5.47B, Liberty Media (FWONA) $22.04B, Sinclair (SBGI) $971.59M.

Which stock is cheaper, NXST, FWONA and SBGI?

Sinclair (SBGI) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nexstar Media (NXST) 29.1x, Liberty Media (FWONA) 54.0x, Sinclair (SBGI) 18.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Nexstar Media (NXST) is cheapest (Nexstar Media (NXST) 5.4x, Liberty Media (FWONA) 46.9x, Sinclair (SBGI) 10.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Liberty Media (FWONA) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nexstar Media (NXST) +10.5%, Liberty Media (FWONA) +12.2%, Sinclair (SBGI) -6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Liberty Media (FWONA) has the highest net margin (Nexstar Media (NXST) 3.2%, Liberty Media (FWONA) 9.4%, Sinclair (SBGI) 1.6%). On return on invested capital, Nexstar Media (NXST) leads (Nexstar Media (NXST) 5.8%, Liberty Media (FWONA) 2.9%, Sinclair (SBGI) 4.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Liberty Media (FWONA) returned the most: Nexstar Media (NXST) -9.3%, Liberty Media (FWONA) -4.6%, Sinclair (SBGI) -5.1%. Over five years, Liberty Media (FWONA) compounded fastest (Nexstar Media (NXST) +1.6%/yr, Liberty Media (FWONA) +10.7%/yr, Sinclair (SBGI) -13.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sinclair (SBGI) has the highest dividend yield: Nexstar Media (NXST) 0.04%, Liberty Media (FWONA) 0.00%, Sinclair (SBGI) 0.07%. Liberty Media (FWONA) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Liberty Media (FWONA) has been the steadiest (Nexstar Media (NXST) 36.9%, Liberty Media (FWONA) 24.6%, Sinclair (SBGI) 45.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NXST, FWONA and SBGI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Liberty Media (FWONA) leads on 8. 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.