Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. NXST scored 55.5, WBD scored 16.1 — NXST leads.
Compare another set
NXST
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Broadcasting · Quality-Growth
55.5
$161.45 · $5.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
39.4
NXST leads
WBD
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
Entertainment · Quality-Growth
16.1
$30.95 · $77.6B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthNXST+10.5%
Strongest balance sheetWBD0.94
Highest qualityNXST56 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueNXST-56%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
NXST
stronger →← stronger
WBD
56
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
27
71
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
14
43
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
11
NXST is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
NXST
WBD
$743mC+
FCF
$2.2bB
+10.5%B
Rev
-6.1%D
5.34D
D/E
0.94B
30.6xC+
P/E
—
0.27A
PEG
55.18D
—
P/S
2.1xB
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
NXST
WBD
56% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
191% above
~-16%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~37%/yr
+131%
1-yr DCF upside
-69%
+125%
5-yr DCF upside
-66%
+118%
10-yr DCF upside
-61%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
The companies
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.
WBDWarner Bros. Discovery, Inc.
Entertainment · $30.95 · beta 1.54
Why now
Entertainment · market cap $77.6b. Trading near 52-week high of $30.99 — momentum setup, limited technical margin of safety. Revenue -6% — in contraction; any catalyst that reverses this triggers re-rating. 8 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $30.63 (implying -1% upside).
Moat
$77.6b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Revenue contracting -6% — the operational turn is not yet visible in the top line. Currently unprofitable (margin -8.8%) — path to GAAP profitability is the core thesis risk. Trading within 0% of the 52-week high — limited technical margin of safety; a momentum reversal would test conviction.
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 NXST and WBD diverge
On the headline score the gap is 39.4 points in favor of NXST. The widest single difference is Growth, where NXST leads by 56.8 points.
GrowthNXST 71.2 · WBD 14.4NXST +56.8
ValueNXST 42.7 · WBD 10.6NXST +32.1
QualityNXST 56.4 · WBD 27.2NXST +29.2
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 WBD the better stock?
NXST scores higher: NXST 55.5, WBD 16.1 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 WBD differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where NXST leads by 57 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. NXST leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are NXST and WBD 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.