Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) Announces Earnings Results

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($1.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.00) by ($0.06), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Live Nation Entertainment had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 97.90%.

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 Price Performance

Shares of Live Nation Entertainment stock traded up $1.68 during trading on Thursday, hitting $157.46. 3,751,752 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,741,342. Live Nation Entertainment has a fifty-two week low of $112.88 and a fifty-two week high of $175.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $145.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.10, a P/E/G ratio of 10.61 and a beta of 1.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LYV. UBS Group initiated coverage on Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $164.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $173.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Live Nation Entertainment from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their price target on shares of Live Nation Entertainment from $170.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Live Nation Entertainment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.45.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Live Nation Entertainment

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Live Nation Entertainment by 122.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 62,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,305,000 after acquiring an additional 34,369 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 4,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 17,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,464,000 after purchasing an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Live Nation Entertainment by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.52% of the company’s stock.

More 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

Live Nation Entertainment Company Profile

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.