The Best Media Stock to Buy With $100 Right Now

On Nov. 5, 2025, The New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) posted strong results in its third-quarter 2025 earnings report. They included revenue climbing 9.5% year over year, digital subscriptions rising 14% for a total subscriber base of 12.3 million, and a 20% increase in digital ad revenue.

The media company followed that up a few weeks later by declaring a regular quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share for Class A and B shareholders, payable on Jan. 16, 2026. The announcement contributed to share prices surging throughout December 2025, and it hasn't slowed down yet.

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The New York Times Co. continues to prioritize subscribers and protect its content

NYT reached an all-time high of $71.08 on Dec. 19, quickly surpassing a $68 price target that was set by Morgan Stanley analyst Thomas Yeh the day before. Share prices even exceeded the $71 price target set by David Karnovsky of JP Morgan, which was established in mid-November. The stock is up by 34.60% for the year 2025 (as of Dec. 19), yet still remains a buy target, according to most analysts.

The New York Times Co. has a long-term goal of reaching a subscriber base of 15 million. Within its long-term strategy, the company plans to better utilize its sports news subsidiary, The Athletic, while also using artificial intelligence (AI) to offer more personalized experiences for subscribers and target new ones.

Speaking of AI, the newspaper company continues its legal battles against AI companies, including its most recent lawsuit against Perplexity on Dec. 5. The New York Times Co. claims that Perplexity copied, distributed, and displayed millions of its articles, including ones behind paywalls, without permission to power its AI products. This drama follows an ongoing, two-year-long lawsuit between the NYT, OpenAI, and Microsoft, where the latter two are being sued for a similar case of copyright infringement.

With a price constantly exceeding analysts' predictions, and an aggressive plan to increase and protect its subscription business model at all costs, NYT is an optimal media stock to buy with $100.

JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Adé Hennis has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, and The New York Times Co. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.