Investors gain from Tegna’s bigger size

Article Excerpt

TEGNA INC., $16, is a buy. The company (New York symbol TGNA, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector: Shares o/s: 216.7 million; Market cap: $3.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Divd. yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.tegna.com) owns 62 TV and four radio stations in 51 markets. It also offers online advertising and marketing services. The company has now completed its purchase of 11 TV stations owned by Nexstar Media Group Inc. (Nasdaq symbol NXST). Those broadcast outlets are in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Iowa, Illinois, Alabama and Arkansas. Tegna paid $740 million for the stations. Expanding by acquisition adds risk for the company and investors. However, each of the acquisitions is a leader in its market and will immediately add to Tegna’s earnings. That will help it pay down the loans it needed to complete the transactions. The company will also conserve its cash by suspending its share buyback program through the end of 2020. 2020…