Which Is a Better Investment, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. or The Trade Desk, Inc. Stock?

By Tudor Pop
June 18, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
Featured Tickers:

Sifting through countless of stocks in the Media industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. operates as a diversified media company that produces and distributes local and national news, sports, and entertainment contents on the television and digital platforms in the United States. It owns, operates, programs, or provides sales and other services to power television and radio stations; and provides television programming services. The company offers video and display advertising platforms through its own and various third party websites, mobile and over-the-top applications, digital media solutions to media publishers and advertisers, and a consumer product reviews platform. In addition, it owns NewsNation, a national cable news network; and WGN-AM, a Chicago radio station, as well as owns and operates digital multicast networks. Further, its digital assets include 125 local websites, 229 mobile applications, 110 connected television applications, television channels from The CW and The Hill, BestReviews, and advertising solutions. Additionally, the company engages in the digital business. Its stations are affiliates of ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, The CW, MyNetworkTV, and other broadcast television networks. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. was formerly known as Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and changed its name to Nexstar Media Group, Inc. in January 2017. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

The Trade Desk, Inc. operates as a technology company in the United States and internationally. The company creates, manages, and optimizes digital advertising campaigns across ad formats, channels and devices, including CTV and other video, display, audio, and native, on a multitude of devices, such televisions, streaming devices, mobile devices, computers and digital-out-of-home devices. It provides data and other value-added services. It serves advertising agencies, advertisers, and other service providers for agencies or advertisers. The Trade Desk, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Ventura, California.

Latest Media and Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk, Inc. Stock News

As of June 18, 2026, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. had a $5.0 billion market capitalization, compared to the Media median of $394.8 million. Nexstar Media Group, Inc.’s stock is down 19.2% in 2026, down 5.9% in the previous five trading days and down 0.94% in the past year.

Currently, Nexstar Media Group, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 34.5. Nexstar Media Group, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $5.1 billion with a 3.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 13.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $34.192 per share for the current fiscal year. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. currently has a 4.5% dividend yield.

As of June 18, 2026, The Trade Desk, Inc. had a $8.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 76th percentile of all stocks. The Trade Desk, Inc.’s stock is down 51.2% in 2026, down 2.1% in the previous five trading days and down 72.65% in the past year.

Currently, The Trade Desk, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 20.9. The Trade Desk, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $3.0 billion with a 14.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.850 per share for the current fiscal year. The Trade Desk, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. NXST B
The Trade Desk, Inc. TTD C

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a Value Score of 68, which is Value. The Trade Desk, Inc. has a Value Score of 43, which is Average.

The Value Stock Winner: Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is considered to have better value than The Trade Desk, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. NXST C
The Trade Desk, Inc. TTD A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a Quality Score of 49, which is Average. The Trade Desk, Inc. has a Quality Score of 89, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: The Trade Desk, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, The Trade Desk, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than Nexstar Media Group, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, The Trade Desk, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. NXST C
The Trade Desk, Inc. TTD D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 58, which is Neutral. The Trade Desk, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 22, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Value and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

AAII Platinum Banner

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 68, Estimate Revisions Score of 58 and Quality Score of 49.

The Trade Desk, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 43, Estimate Revisions Score of 22 and Quality Score of 89.

Comparing Nexstar Media Group, Inc., The Trade Desk and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



Find New Stock Opportunities With Included With AAII Platinum
O'Shaughnessy Tiny Titans
Screen:
23.7%
Annual Gain Since Inception. Data as of 12/31/2024.




Try AAII Platinum and get full access to
769.3% Stock Superstars Portfolio Total Return Since Inception
Compare to:
710.3% iShare DOW Jones
U.S. Index ETF (IYY)

SSR Group 3 O'Shaughnessy portfolio has a 411.2% gain since inception performance compared to IYY at only 119.1%% Performance as of 11/29/24.

Get your free copy of our special report analyzing the tech stocks most likely to outperform the market.

Download the FREE Report Here:

BECOME A MEMBER FOR ONLY $2

Get access to powerful investment discovery tools and a wealth of investment education to help you achieve your financial goals.