Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. IMAX scored 52.6, NXST scored 55.5 — NXST leads.
Compare another set
IMAX
IMAX Corporation
Entertainment · Quality-Growth
52.6
$50.80 · $2.8B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.9
NXST leads
NXST
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Broadcasting · Quality-Growth
55.5
$161.45 · $5.0B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestNXST30.6x
Fastest growthIMAX+16.5%
Strongest balance sheetIMAX0.63
Highest qualityIMAX73 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueNXST-56%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
IMAX
stronger →← stronger
NXST
73
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
56
88
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
71
23
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
43
IMAX is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
IMAX
NXST
$100mC
FCF
$743mC+
+16.5%B+
Rev
+10.5%B
0.63B
D/E
5.34D
69.6xC
P/E
30.6xC+
1.17B+
PEG
0.27A
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
IMAX
NXST
43% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
56% below
~20%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-16%/yr
-40%
1-yr DCF upside
+131%
-30%
5-yr DCF upside
+125%
-12%
10-yr DCF upside
+118%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
IMAXIMAX Corporation
Entertainment · $50.80 · beta 0.49
Why now
Entertainment · market cap $2.8b. 12% off the 52-week high of $57.73. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 12 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $56.58 (implying +11% upside).
Moat
ROE 11% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($63m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
Trailing P/E 69.6x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating.
NXSTNexstar Media Group, Inc.
Broadcasting · $161.45 · beta 0.93
Why now
Broadcasting · market cap $5.0b. Down 37% from 52-week high of $254.30 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. PEG 0.27 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $246.75 (implying +53% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($820m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
D/E 5.34 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Down 37% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up. Dividend payout 141% of earnings on a 4.6% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where IMAX and NXST diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.9 points in favor of NXST. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueIMAX 22.7 · NXST 42.7NXST +20.0
QualityIMAX 73.1 · NXST 56.4IMAX +16.7
GrowthIMAX 87.9 · NXST 71.2IMAX +16.7
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is NXST or IMAX the better stock?
NXST scores higher: NXST 55.5, IMAX 52.6 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do NXST and IMAX differ most?
The widest gap is value, where NXST leads by 20 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are NXST and IMAX scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.