NewsNation Parent Nexstar Raises Dividend Despite Q1 Revenue Decline, Stock Soars

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) shares are trading higher on Thursday. The company reported first-quarter FY25 net revenue decrease of 3.9% year over year (Y/Y) to $1.234 billion, which aligns with the consensus.

Nexstar Media Group owns a diverse portfolio of media brands, including national television networks like The CW and NewsNation and digital assets like The Hill and NewsNationNow.com.

Revenues from Advertising declined 10.2% Y/Y to $460 million due to a $32 million drop in political advertising and a $20 million reduction in non-political advertising revenue on the softness of the advertising markets.

Distribution revenue remained almost flat year over year at $762 million. This segment benefited from annual rate increases, higher vMVPD subscribers, and CW affiliation additions.

Also Read: Nexstar Stock Dips As Short Seller Warns Of “Kodak Moment”

Adjusted EBITDA fell 15.7% Y/Y to $381 million, and the margin contracted to 30.9% from 35.2% a year ago.

EPS was $3.37, down from $5.16 in the prior-year quarter, but it beat the consensus estimate of $3.35.

Adjusted free cash flow totaled $348 million, down from $389 million in the prior year quarter. As of March 31, 2025, cash stood at $253 million.

Dividend: The Board of Directors raised the quarterly cash dividend by 10% to $1.86 per share, payable on June 2, to shareholders of record as of May 19, 2025.

Buyback: The company repurchased shares worth $75 million in the quarter.

Nexstar CEO Perry A. Sook said, “As the nation’s largest local broadcaster, we strategically use our scale to drive strong operating results and cash flow and facilitate organic growth initiatives as we further elevate The CW and NewsNation to top-tier networks.”

”For the balance of 2025, we remain focused on renewing distribution contracts representing approximately 60% of our subscriber base in total for the year, continuing our path towards profitability at The CW, preparing for the 2026 political cycle, and pursuing deregulation.”

Investors can gain exposure to the stock via Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (NASDAQ:QVAL) and WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Quality Growth Fund (NASDAQ:QSML).

Price Action: Nexstar shares are up 8.45% to $169.07 at the last check on Thursday.

Read Next:

Trump Wants ‘Movies Made In America Again’: Here’s What Tariffs On Films Could Mean For Disney, Netflix Stock

Image by metamorworks via Shutterstock

“ACTIVE INVESTORS’ SECRET WEAPON” Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 “news & everything else” trading tool: Benzinga Pro – Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now!

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?