Empowered Funds LLC Buys 52,221 Shares of Warner Music Group Corp. $WMG

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Warner Music Group stake by 1,954.4%, buying 52,221 additional shares to hold 54,893 shares valued at approximately $1.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.88% of WMG.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 13 Buy ratings and four Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $38.21.
• Warner Music reported quarterly revenue of $1.86 billion, up 10.4% year over year, and adjusted EPS of $0.51 versus the $0.34 consensus estimate. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.19 to $0.20 per share, implying a 3.0% annual yield.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG - Free Report) by 1,954.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,893 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 52,221 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Warner Music Group were worth $1,402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Warner Music Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,867,000. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of Warner Music Group by 44.1% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,208,063 shares of the company's stock worth $98,391,000 after acquiring an additional 981,912 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Warner Music Group by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 423,049 shares of the company's stock worth $12,975,000 after acquiring an additional 95,956 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Warner Music Group by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 396,808 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,170,000 after purchasing an additional 46,482 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Warner Music Group by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,976,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,277,000 after purchasing an additional 802,694 shares in the last quarter. 96.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Warner Music Group in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Warner Music Group from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on Warner Music Group from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Warner Music Group in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Warner Music Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.21.

More Warner Music Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Music Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warner Music reported fiscal Q3 revenue of approximately $1.86 billion, ahead of consensus expectations and up roughly 9%–10% year over year. Subscription streaming revenue increased 11%, supporting the company’s core recurring-revenue model. WMG calendar Q2: Total revenue up 9.3% YoY to $1.86B; subscription streaming revenues rose 11% YoY
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $0.51 per share, well above the $0.34 analyst consensus and sharply better than the year-earlier loss of $0.03 per share. The earnings beat and double-digit revenue growth reinforce the investment case for Warner Music as a long-term music-streaming compounder. Warner Music Group Corp. Reports Results for Fiscal Third Quarter Ended June 30, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim maintained its Buy rating, while bullish commentary highlighted WMG’s improved valuation following the recent share-price weakness. The company also raised its quarterly dividend 5.3% to $0.20 per share, signaling confidence in cash generation and shareholder returns. Guggenheim Keeps Their Buy Rating on Warner Music Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is targeting operating cash-flow conversion of 50%–60%. That goal provides a framework for evaluating future results, but suggests investors will closely monitor the timing of cash generation and profitability improvements. Warner Music targets 50% to 60% operating cash flow conversion as Apple deal extends PSM increases into Q4
• Negative Sentiment: The market’s caution reflects a key streaming test ahead, including whether subscription growth can remain strong and offset pressure from licensing economics. An Apple agreement extends price-supporting measures into the fourth quarter, potentially delaying clearer evidence of organic pricing power. Warner Music Group Faces a Key Streaming Test

Warner Music Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMG opened at $26.39 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $28.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.70. The firm has a market cap of $13.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.94, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.94, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.73. Warner Music Group Corp. has a 52-week low of $23.34 and a 52-week high of $35.42.

Warner Music Group (NASDAQ:WMG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.17. Warner Music Group had a return on equity of 92.97% and a net margin of 9.20%.The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.03) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Warner Music Group Corp. will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Warner Music Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Warner Music Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Warner Music Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.41%.

Warner Music Group Profile

Warner Music Group is a major global music company that operates across recorded music and music publishing. Its recorded-music business comprises a portfolio of well-known labels—including Atlantic, Warner Records and Parlophone—as well as distribution and artist-services operations that support both established and emerging artists. The company's publishing arm, Warner Chappell Music, manages songwriting catalogs and administers rights for compositions across multiple media, providing licensing for film, television, advertising and other commercial uses.

WMG's activities span the full music value chain: signing and developing artists, producing and marketing recordings, distributing music through physical channels and streaming platforms, and monetizing rights through licensing, synchronization and neighboring-rights collection.

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