Nexstar Media Group Inc. (NXST) — RQD Stock Rating Cockpit

The Roarable RQD rating is 45 out of 100, letter grade D, labeled "Roarable Sell — Underperform / Distribution Warning" (per the Roarable RQD rating). Across its five pillars:

• Fundamental cash engine: 13 / 20. Per the Roarable RQD rating, this pillar reflects ROIC of 8.4% and FCF yield of 14.18%. Cash generation is the strongest supporting element in the rating, and it is the main upside argument in the source data. Investors should note that FCF yield in the market data is presented alongside a trailing P/E of 63.1, which signals that reported earnings are thin relative to the price (per the market data).
• Whale 13F flow: 9 / 20. Per the Roarable RQD rating, this pillar reflects institutional accumulation and options positioning. The source does not include the underlying 13F holdings (see Analyst View section), so the score cannot be traced to specific filers here.
• Insider conviction: 11 / 20. Per the Roarable RQD rating, this pillar reflects SEC Form 4 and Congressional PTR cluster flow. The underlying insider transactions are not itemized in the source data.
• Macro regime fit: 6 / 20. Per the Roarable RQD rating, beta is 0.99 and the pillar reflects sector sensitivity. A beta near 1.0 means the stock has historically moved roughly in line with the market in this data set, offering limited defensive insulation.
• Forensic balance sheet: 6 / 20. Per the Roarable RQD rating, Altman Z is 1.61, Piotroski F is 6/9, and Debt/Equity is 3.01. These are the weakest readings in the rating and the primary reason the balance sheet pillar is scored low.

Practical implication for a prospective investor: the rating is weighted toward a strong cash yield offset by weak balance-sheet forensics, a trailing P/E of 63.1, and weak institutional and insider conviction signals. Per the market data, the stock trades at 11.5x EV/EBITDA, which is a valuation tradeoff against its elevated earnings multiple: cash flow and enterprise-level multiples look moderate while equity-level earnings look expensive. The RQD verdict is a distribution warning, meaning the framework flags downside risk relative to the price. This is an analytical read of the source data, not personalized financial advice.

Nexstar Media Group Inc. (NXST) is a NASDAQ-listed company in the Communication Services sector, Broadcasting industry (per the profile). The profile describes the company as operating in Broadcasting with a market capitalization of $5.2B. The source data does not itemize its products, customer segments, or revenue model beyond the financial figures below. Not available in source data for detailed product and customer description.

Per the SEC financials, revenue declined from $5407.0M in FY 2024 to $4949.0M in FY 2025, and net income fell from $683.0M to $83.0M over the same period. Per the market data, operating margin is 17.2%, net margin is 1.7%, and gross margin is 0%. ROIC is 8.4%. Per the Roarable RQD rating, the Altman Z-Score is 1.61 and the Piotroski F-Score is 6/9. Per the SEC financials, debt rose from $1385.2M in FY 2023 to $6222.0M in FY 2025, and per the Roarable RQD rating, Debt/Equity is 3.01.

Per the recent news wire (all items tagged relatedSymbol NXST):

• Merger setback / fair value: A Simply Wall St headline states the stock "May Be Above Fair Value Following Merger Setback" (YELLOW). This is a risk watch item.
• TEGNA court hold-separate: A TradingView weekly recap references a "Court hold-separate for TEGNA" (YELLOW). This is a risk watch item with unresolved details in the source.
• Analyst consensus target: A MarketBeat headline cites a consensus price target of $256.50 (YELLOW). Treat as a sentiment reference only; see Analyst View.
• Market wire: A Yahoo Finance item covers institutional positioning and fundamental catalysts without specifics (YELLOW).
• Positive catalyst: A Stock Titan item states fans outside Texas will be able to stream 12 Texas football finals for the first time (YELLOW), a content-distribution item.
• Analyst bullishness: A Globe and Mail item lists NXST among communication services stocks analysts are bullish on (GREEN, tagged CATALYST).

Proprietary signals: none listed in the Butterfly Supply-Chain Graph. Risk watch items: the merger setback and the TEGNA hold-separate are the most material headlines in the source.

Not available in source data for analyst ratings and price targets (analyst_data is NONE). The news wire cites a consensus price target of $256.50 via MarketBeat, but this figure is not in the analyst_data section and is therefore reported only as a headline reference. Per the holders section, no 13F, Form 4 insider, or Congressional trade data is available (holders is NONE).

• What is the status and expected timing of the TEGNA court hold-separate, and what is its financial impact on NXST?
• What were the terms and outcome of the merger setback referenced in the news wire?
• What drove the decline in net income from $683.0M (FY 2024) to $83.0M (FY 2025) and the rise in debt from $1385.2M (FY 2023) to $6222.0M (FY 2025)?
• What are the institutional 13F and insider Form 4 transactions underlying the whale and insider pillar scores?
• Why is EPS reported as N/A for all periods while trailing EPS is 2.69, and how reconciles the 1.7% net margin with a 63.1 trailing P/E?