Note 15: Income Per Share

Income per share (basic and diluted) available to common stockholders for the years ended December 31 are presented below ($ in millions, except per share amounts, and shares in thousands):

 

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Net income attributable to Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

 

$

109

 

 

$

722

 

 

$

346

 

Accretion of redeemable noncontrolling interests(1)

 

 

(17

)

 

 

(20

)

 

 

-

 

Net income available to common stockholders

 

$

92

 

 

$

702

 

 

$

346

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding – basic

 

 

30,349

 

 

 

32,311

 

 

 

35,317

 

Dilutive effect of equity incentive plan instruments

 

 

358

 

 

 

485

 

 

 

517

 

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

 

 

30,707

 

 

 

32,796

 

 

 

35,834

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income per share available to common stockholders – basic

 

$

3.04

 

 

$

21.73

 

 

$

9.78

 

Net income per share available to common stockholders – diluted

 

$

3.00

 

 

$

21.41

 

 

$

9.64

 

 

(1)
As discussed in Note 2, we adjusted our accounting for redeemable noncontrolling interests. The accretion for the year ended December 31, 2024 included an out-of-period adjustment of $7 million which reduced each of basic and diluted earnings per share by $0.20.

The Company had outstanding restricted stock units to acquire 38,000, 20,000 and 69,000 weighted average shares of common stock for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively, the effects of which are excluded from the calculation of dilutive income per share, as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive for the periods presented.

About Earnings Per Share Disclosures

The earnings per share disclosure breaks down the calculation from net income to both basic and diluted EPS, revealing the full impact of a company's capital structure on per-share economics. The reconciliation between basic and diluted share counts exposes how many stock options, RSUs, convertible securities, and warrants are potentially dilutive to existing shareholders.

Key signals: a widening gap between basic and diluted shares indicates growing dilution from equity compensation or convertible instruments. Anti-dilutive securities excluded from the diluted calculation deserve attention — they represent latent dilution that will materialize if the stock price rises. Watch for the effect of share buybacks on per-share metrics: EPS growth driven primarily by repurchases rather than income growth signals weakening fundamentals. Compare year-over-year changes in the diluted share count against equity compensation expense to assess whether management is effectively managing dilution.