Shares in station group Liberty Corp. surged more than 26 percent Friday after the company announced Thursday that it was being sold to privately held station owner Raycom Media for $987 million.

News of the Liberty deal had a varied impact on other station groups, with several, including Nexstar Broadcasting, Young Broadcasting and Belo Corp., posting small stock-price gains in early trading Friday, while others, such as Hearst-Argyle Television and LIN TV, registered small declines.

By late morning, Liberty’s shares were trading at around $47.35 a share, up nearly $10 from Thursday’s close, and the exact per-share price that Raycom agreed to pay to purchase Liberty.