NXST
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
NXST offers stronger fundamentals, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
TMUS
T-Mobile US, Inc.
TMUS has the edge over NXST overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
NXST Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Weak |
NXST's revenue, profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, but its balance sheet is weak.
TMUS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
TMUS's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable.
NXST PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 7.7x | $84.87 | -59% |
| Forward | 7.9x | $206 | — |
| Fair | 9.5x | $105 | -49% |
| Expensive | 17x | $182 | -11% |
| Current | 19x | $206 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NXST's PE is in its expensive range at 19x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 7.9x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
TMUS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 13x | $171 | — |
| Current | 16x | $171 | — |
| Cheap | 21x | $218 | +27% |
| Fair | 26x | $274 | +60% |
| Expensive | 56x | $581 | +240% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
TMUS has the edge over NXST in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
NXST Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for NXST, but weaker profitability.
TMUS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on the outlook, with more favorable profitability expectations.
NXST Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $26.18 | +137% |
| Q3 2026 | $11.05 | -31% |
| Q2 2026 | $5.27 | -72% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.72 | -76% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.00 | -86% |
| Q3 2025 | $16.01 | -7.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $19.14 | +50% |
| Q1 2025 | $19.62 | +66% |
| Q4 2024 | $21.41 | +122% |
NXST's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $11.05 over the past year, against $25.00 in late 2022.
TMUS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.49 | +30% |
| Q3 2026 | $10.37 | -0.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $9.56 | -9.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $9.41 | -8.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.72 | +0.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $10.39 | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $10.59 | +33% |
| Q1 2025 | $10.24 | +39% |
| Q4 2024 | $9.66 | +39% |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
NXST Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.1B | +78% |
| Q2 2026 | $2B | +62% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.4B | +13% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.3B | -13% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | -12% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.2B | -3.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.2B | -3.9% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.5B | +14% |
NXST's revenue has picked up after four years of holding roughly level: $2.1B last quarter, up 78% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 25% | +10 points |
| Q2 2026 | 18% | +0.8 points |
| Q1 2026 | 19% | +1.2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 19% | -9.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 15% | -9.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | -1.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 18% | -3.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 28% | +10 points |
NXST has the edge over TMUS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
TMUS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $23.6B | +7.4% |
| Q2 2026 | $22.8B | +7.9% |
| Q1 2026 | $23.1B | +11% |
| Q4 2025 | $24.3B | +11% |
| Q3 2025 | $22B | +8.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $21.1B | +6.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.9B | +6.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $21.9B | +6.8% |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 24% | +3.4 points |
| Q2 2026 | 24% | -0.6 points |
| Q1 2026 | 19% | -3.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 15% | -5.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 21% | -3.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 25% | +1.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 23% | +2.6 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +4 points |
TMUS's operating margin was 24% last quarter, up 3.4 points from the same quarter a year ago.
NXST Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $634M | +629% |
| Q2 2026 | $253M | +16% |
| Q1 2026 | $267M | -12% |
| Q4 2025 | $136M | -64% |
| Q3 2025 | $87M | -76% |
| Q2 2025 | $218M | +57% |
| Q1 2025 | $302M | +30% |
| Q4 2024 | $376M | +158% |
NXST's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $1.3B over the past year, up 31% from the year before.
TMUS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $5.1B | +5.3% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.8B | +4.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.6B | +4.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.2B | +25% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.8B | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.6B | +32% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.4B | +79% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.3B | +2% |
TMUS generated $18.7B in free cash flow over the past year, up 8.8% from the year before.
NXST Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +0.3% | +105K shares |
| 1 year | +1.2% | +364K shares |
| 3 years | -12% | -4.4M shares |
| 5 years | -29% | -12.5M shares |
| Available history | -35% | -16.9M shares |
NXST has 31M diluted shares, up 1.2% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | $50M |
| Q1 2025 | $75M |
| Q4 2024 | $178M |
| Q3 2024 | $177M |
| Q2 2024 | $135M |
| Q1 2024 | $111M |
TMUS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1% | -10.8M shares |
| 1 year | -4.9% | -55M shares |
| 3 years | -8.8% | -103M shares |
| 5 years | -15% | -182M shares |
| Available history | +24% | +207M shares |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $2.4B |
| Q2 2026 | $2.3B |
| Q1 2026 | $4.8B |
| Q4 2025 | $2.4B |
| Q3 2025 | $2.5B |
| Q2 2025 | $2.6B |
| Q1 2025 | $2.5B |
| Q4 2024 | $4.7B |
TMUS spent $12B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 1.7% from the year before.
NXST Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 6.4x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 8.3x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 9.2x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 4.6x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 3.3x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 3.1x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 3.1x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.1x | Elevated |
NXST's net debt is about 6.4 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 3.3 years a year ago.
TMUS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.0x | Very low |
| Q2 2026 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | -0.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 2.5x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | 2.4x | Moderate |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
NXST Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 69.7 | Neutral |
NXST's weekly RSI is 63 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 70 (neutral).
TMUS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 47.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 42.1 | Neutral |
TMUS's weekly RSI is 48 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 42 (neutral).
NXST PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | NXST | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 19x | 16x | 13% above |
| PE % | 86 | 26 | 60 pts above |
NXST is trading at 19x earnings, a 13% premium to the Communication Services sector's median of 16x.
TMUS PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | TMUS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 16x | 16x | Same PE |
| PE % | 1 | 26 | 25 pts below |
TMUS has the edge over NXST on valuation relative to its sector.
NXST Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $172.3 | 20% above |
| 20 week MA | $177.3 | 16% above |
| 50 week MA | $193.7 | 6.4% above |
| 100 week MA | $184.9 | 11% above |
| 200 week MA | $175.2 | 18% above |
NXST has the edge over TMUS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
TMUS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $159.1 | 7.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $172.0 | 0.5% below |
| 50 week MA | $187.8 | 8.9% below |
| 100 week MA | $212.9 | 20% below |
| 200 week MA | $188.7 | 9.4% below |
TMUS has bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-week average, but 9.4% below its 200-week average.
NXST Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $118.2 | $105.0 | -11% |
| 2021 | $105.0 | $152.8 | +45% |
| 2022 | $152.8 | $176.0 | +15% |
| 2023 | $176.0 | $156.8 | -11% |
| 2024 | $156.8 | $159.1 | +1.5% |
| 2025 | $159.1 | $205.0 | +29% |
| 2026 YTD | $205.0 | $206.0 | +0.5% |
NXST has the edge over TMUS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
TMUS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $77.2 | $132.9 | +72% |
| 2021 | $132.9 | $119.9 | -9.8% |
| 2022 | $119.9 | $140.0 | +17% |
| 2023 | $140.0 | $160.3 | +15% |
| 2024 | $160.3 | $223.0 | +39% |
| 2025 | $223.0 | $201.0 | -9.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $201.0 | $171.0 | -15% |
TMUS has finished higher in four of the last six years. It's down 15% so far in 2026.