Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.24 Per Share
Increase Marks Third Annual Consecutive Rise in Cash Dividend and
100% Compound Annual Growth in Payout Level Since Initiation of Cash
Dividend in 2013
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that its
Board of Directors approved a 26.3 percent increase in the quarterly
cash dividend to $0.24 per share of its Class A common stock beginning
with the dividend declared for the first quarter of 2016. The dividend
is payable on Friday, February 26, 2016, to shareholders of record on
Friday, February 12, 2016.
Perry A. Sook, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., commented, “Nexstar’s third
consecutive annual increase in the cash dividend reflects the Board’s
confidence in our free cash flow growth and our commitment to create
value for shareholders through return of capital initiatives. In this
regard, in September 2015 we also announced that pursuant to its
authorization to repurchase up to $100 million of Nexstar shares, the
Company opportunistically repurchased approximately one million shares
at an average purchase price of approximately $48.10 per share. As such,
our total return of capital to shareholders in 2015 amounted to
approximately $72 million or approximately $2.25 per share.
“We believe our return of capital highlights our confidence in the
Company’s long-term prospects based on visible organic and M&A-related
growth opportunities. At the same time, our growing free cash flow which
will amount to approximately $482 million, or average pro-forma free
cash flow of approximately $7.85 per share per year, in the 2015/2016
cycle affords us the financial flexibility to continue pursuing
additional station and digital media accretive transactions, while
simultaneously reducing leverage and returning capital to shareholders.
“We expect Nexstar to report record operating results for 2015, marking
the fourth consecutive year of record results, and with the application
of our operating approach which combines innovation and discipline, we
remain confident that 2016 and beyond will extend our success in
generating record free cash flow.”
While the Company intends to pay regular quarterly cash dividends for
the foreseeable future, all subsequent dividends will be reviewed
quarterly and declared by the Board of Directors at its discretion.
About Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
Nexstar
Broadcasting Group is a leading diversified media company that
leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and
advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media
platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other
services to 106 television stations and related digital multicast
signals reaching 57 markets or approximately 17.3% of all U.S.
television households. Nexstar’s portfolio includes affiliates of NBC,
CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV, The CW, Telemundo, Bounce TV, Me-TV, LATV,
Estrella, This TV, Weather Nation Utah, Movies! and News/Weather.
Nexstar’s community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content
and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to
choose where, when and how they access content while creating new
revenue opportunities.
Pro-forma for the completion of all announced transactions Nexstar will
own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to 114
television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 59
markets or approximately 18% of all U.S. television households.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements. We have based
these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and
projections about future events. Forward-looking statements include
information preceded by, followed by, or that includes the words
"guidance," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "could," or similar
expressions. For these statements, the Company claims the protection of
the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release,
concerning, among other things, changes in net revenue, cash flow and
operating expenses, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to
change based on various important factors, including the impact of
changes in national and regional economies, our ability to service and
refinance our outstanding debt, successful integration of acquired
television stations (including achievement of synergies and cost
reductions), pricing fluctuations in local and national advertising,
future regulatory actions and conditions in the television stations'
operating areas, competition from others in the broadcast television
markets served by the Company, volatility in programming costs, the
effects of governmental regulation of broadcasting, industry
consolidation, technological developments and major world news events.
Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and
assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this news release
might not occur. You should not place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
release. For more details on factors that could affect these
expectations, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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