Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.06 EPS

by · The Markets Daily

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV – Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($1.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.00) by ($0.06), Zacks reports. Live Nation Entertainment had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 97.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion.

Here are the key takeaways from Live Nation Entertainment’s conference call:

  • Guidance: Management reiterated a target of double‑digit AOI growth in 2026, citing double‑digit sponsorship momentum (over 70% booked) and expected double‑digit concerts growth while ticketing is only expected to deliver mid‑single‑digit underlying growth with some one‑time headwinds.
  • Venue Nation pre‑opening costs are ramping (from about $25M last year to ~$50M in 2026), which will pressure near‑term AOI even though management expects venues to reach steady‑state profitability over a 2–3 year maturation period as international expansion continues.
  • DOJ ruling: A judge dismissed key monopoly claims around promotion and booking—reducing breakup risk and narrowing the government’s case—although venue‑facing ticketing claims will still proceed to trial.
  • Ticketmaster has tightened broker access and increased identity verification and face‑value exchange, cutting broker concert listings roughly in half, which management says shrinks scalping but may shift secondary activity to other platforms and invites evolving state‑level regulation.
  • Demand and supply dynamics remain strong globally: management reports robust fan demand, roughly 80% of shows booked, and double‑digit increases in arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters—supporting their optimistic outlook for 2026.

Live Nation Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of LYV stock traded up $1.68 during trading on Thursday, hitting $157.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,755,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,741,471. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.41. The company has a market cap of $36.96 billion, a PE ratio of 114.10, a P/E/G ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $145.41 and a 200-day moving average of $150.13. Live Nation Entertainment has a 52 week low of $112.88 and a 52 week high of $175.25.

Key Live Nation Entertainment News

Here are the key news stories impacting Live Nation Entertainment this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Quarterly revenue beat analyst estimates, driven by sustained concert demand — a sign that ticketing and live events momentum remains strong. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Company release and PR highlight double-digit growth in 2025 and say momentum carries into what management calls a “record-breaking 2026,” supporting revenue outlook and investor confidence. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Trading was temporarily halted for LYV at 3:35 PM for “News pending,” a short-term market event that can amplify intraday volatility. (Trading status reported by exchange)
  • Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at Morgan Stanley’s TMT conference on March 3 — a forthcoming event where management commentary and Q&A could move the shares. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Reported EPS missed estimates: Q4 EPS of ($1.06) vs. consensus ($1.00) — a modest miss that could weigh on near-term sentiment despite the revenue beat. Press Release
  • Negative Sentiment: Significant legal risk: a federal judge rejected Live Nation’s bid to dismiss the DOJ/state antitrust lawsuit, allowing remaining claims to proceed to trial next month — this preserves the risk of penalties, remedies or operational constraints that could pressure valuation. Article Title Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage notes LYV underperformed peers and the stock has shown sensitivity to the antitrust headlines, which has prompted intraday weakness on some sessions. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LYV has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Live Nation Entertainment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $161.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Live Nation Entertainment from $195.00 to $181.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Live Nation Entertainment from $172.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm set a $174.00 price target on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.45.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on LYV

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LYV. Third Point LLC raised its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Third Point LLC now owns 1,725,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $245,812,000 after purchasing an additional 375,000 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Live Nation Entertainment by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,250,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $178,195,000 after acquiring an additional 43,878 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Live Nation Entertainment by 653.7% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,191,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,767,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033,289 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Live Nation Entertainment by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,177,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,858,000 after acquiring an additional 28,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CI Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 1,027,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,370,000 after purchasing an additional 12,969 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.52% of the company’s stock.

About Live Nation Entertainment

(Get Free Report)

Live Nation Entertainment is a global live entertainment company that promotes, operates and sells tickets for live events. The company’s core activities include concert promotion and production, venue operations and management, ticketing services through its Ticketmaster platform, artist management and development, and sponsorship and advertising services tied to live events. These integrated businesses are designed to connect artists, fans and commercial partners across the live event ecosystem.

The company in its current form was created following the 2010 merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, combining a promoter and venue operator with one of the industry’s largest ticketing platforms.

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