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what it is
Sinclair owns 185 TV stations, a tennis business, and ad-tech services that sell local ads across 86 U.S. markets.
how it gets paid
Last year Sinclair made $3.2B in revenue. Local Media advertising was the main engine at $1.44B, or 45% of sales.
why growth slowed
Revenue fell 10.7% last year. Latest-quarter revenue was $2.3B, up 202% vs. prior year, while annual revenue was still down 10.7% to $3.2B.
what just happened
The last report delivered $1.55 EPS versus a -$0.34 estimate, but the bigger story is that revenue is still lumpy.
At a glance
B balance sheet — gets the job done, barely
5/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
6.3x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
6.6% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
8.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 45/100 — below average
What they do
Sinclair owns 185 TV stations, a tennis business, and ad-tech services that sell local ads across 86 U.S. markets.
Sinclair wins because local TV still matters when you need news, sports, and political ads where you live. It reaches 86 U.S. markets through 185 stations and 641 channels, which is a lot of local shelf space to replace. Scale → more stations and channels → more ad inventory and retransmission leverage, so your smaller rival is negotiating with a spoon.
How they make money
$3.2B
annual revenue · their business grew -10.7% last year
Local Media advertising
$1.44B
12.0%
Distribution and retransmission
$1.15B
2.0%
Tennis
$0.19B
+8.0%
Compulse marketing services
$0.26B
+5.0%
Technical Services and Ventures
$0.16B
+1.0%
The products that matter
local broadcast television
Local Stations
part of a $3.2B revenue base
this is still the center of gravity. the snapshot data does not break out station revenue, so we are not going to pretend it does. what you can verify is the company-level picture: $3.2B of sales, down 10.7%, with the core ad engine under pressure.
core asset
sports cable network
Tennis Channel
brand asset inside the portfolio
this matters because it gives Sinclair something other than pure local broadcast exposure. the data here is thin on segment detail, so the honest read is simple: it adds diversification, but it is not large enough in this snapshot to overpower the company-wide decline.
diversifier
technical services and other media operations
Media Services & Other
supports the broader portfolio
again, the segment detail is thin here. what matters for you is not the label but the roll-up: every smaller piece still feeds into a company carrying $4.1B of long-term debt against about $1B of equity value.
supporting pieces
Key numbers
$4.1B
long-term debt
Debt this large matters because the entire market cap is only about $1B, so lenders have a louder voice than shareholders.
6.3x
trailing p/e
P/E → price-to-earnings ratio → so what: you are paying a low multiple, but low multiples often belong to businesses with messy earnings.
6.6%
dividend yield
Yield → annual cash payout as a share of stock price → so what: the income looks fat, but big yields also show the market doubts durability.
8.0%
return on capital
Return on capital → profit generated per dollar invested → so what: 8% is okay, not elite, especially for a company carrying 80% debt-to-capital.
Financial health
B
strength
- balance sheet grade B — adequate — nothing special
- risk rank 4 — safer than 20% of stocks
- price stability 20 / 100
- long-term debt $4.1B (80% of capital)
- net profit margin 8.2% — keeps 8 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 24% — $0.24 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B — return on equity looks solid but long-term debt needs watching.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in SBGI 3 years ago → it's now worth $10,250.
The index would have given you $14,770.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
beat estimates
The last report delivered $1.55 EPS versus a -$0.34 estimate, but the bigger story is that revenue is still lumpy.
Latest-quarter revenue was $2.3B, up 202% vs. prior year, while annual revenue was still down 10.7% to $3.2B. That contrast tells you headline beats do not fix the core volatility problem.
$2.3B
revenue
$1.55
eps
n/a
n/a
the number that mattered
The $4.1B debt load matters more than the EPS beat, because one good quarter does not cancel a capital structure this heavy.
-
sinclair inc. likely closed 2025 in the red.though advertising and distribution revenues probably picked up in the later months of the year, the company's troubles likely persisted. sinclair was devastated by the march 2023 bankruptcy of diamond sports group (dsg), and has been untangling its assets from dsg, which owned and operated much of its regional sports networks. tougher operating conditions, rising expenses, and the toll of restructuring efforts also hindered its recent performance.
-
the media company should return to profitability this year.
-
management's ongoing business improvements ought to take hold in the coming months.
-
plus, sinclair will probably begin to see contributions from recent asset purchases.too, the 2026 midterm election cycle should drive political ad revenues, particularly in the back half of the year.
-
all told, the top line may well rebound 10% this year, and earnings may well come in at $2.40 a share.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
sinclair does not need a dramatic collapse to hurt you. it needs the combination of weak local ad demand, policy pressure on broadcast economics, and a balance sheet that leaves little room for a long slump.
med
debt squeezes the equity story
The company carries $4.1B of long-term debt against about $1B of market value. That is the central fact of the page. If operating results wobble, equity holders feel it first and hardest.
Impact: debt equals 80% of capital, so even a modest deterioration in cash generation can overpower the stock's cheap valuation.
med
advertising weakness lasts longer than bulls expect
Revenue already fell 10.7% last year, and the latest quarter dropped another 16% from the prior year. That tells you the pressure is showing up in more than one period.
Impact: a business with a 4.0% net margin does not have much room to absorb another long stretch of falling revenue.
med
broadcast rules and carriage economics shift
Sinclair's station footprint depends on licenses and distributor economics that are partly shaped by policy. If those economics weaken, this snapshot does not show a second engine large enough to fully offset it.
Impact: the risk sits over the full $3.2B revenue base, not just a side segment.
med
the dividend stops being a support
A 6.6% yield looks attractive until you put it next to a full-year EPS result of -$3.35. If the payout gets cut or questioned, one of the stock's clearest reasons to own it weakens at the same time confidence does.
Impact: with only about $1B of equity value, a reset in payout expectations can move the stock quickly.
The bear case is not complicated. If revenue stays weak, the dividend looks shakier. If the dividend looks shakier, the debt load feels heavier. Those are not separate problems. They are the same problem showing up in three places.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
metric
revenue stabilization
The last annual figure fell 10.7% and the latest quarter fell 16%. You want to see that slope flatten before you call this a recovery instead of a bounce.
calendar
next earnings report
Watch whether quarterly margin stays negative or snaps back from -3.5%. That's the fastest read on whether the latest quarter was a bad patch or a deeper signal.
risk
dividend credibility
A 6.6% yield is why many investors show up here. If management sounds less confident in the payout, the stock loses one of its few visible supports.
trend
chart strength versus business weakness
Technical momentum ranks in the top 5%, while earnings predictability is 5/100. One of those is leading and the other is reality. You want to know which one gives first.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
average
momentum score 3. in human-speak, analysts do not see a clean short-term edge from the fundamentals alone.
risk profile
below average
stability score 4 means this stock has been more volatile than most. you are not buying a bunker stock.
chart momentum
top 5%
technical score 1 is the highest rating. the quiet part: the chart currently looks healthier than the underlying business.
earnings predictability
5 / 100
earnings predictability this low means estimates can break fast. if you own it, expect revisions and sharp reactions.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net buying for 3 consecutive quarters — 87 buyers vs. 75 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 29.1M shares. net buying for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$6
$20
$15
current price
$13
target midpoint · 14% from current · 3-5yr high: $25 (+65% · 19% ann'l return)
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