Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from 24 brokerages (21 buys, 2 holds, 1 sell) with an average 12‑month price target of $186.38 and several firms setting targets in the $180–$190 range.
• Latest quarter: EPS missed at (‑$1.06) vs. (‑$1.00) expected, but revenue beat at $6.31B (up 11.1% YoY) and the company reported a 1.79% net margin.
• The stock trades around $156 with a $36.6B market cap, a deeply negative P/E (‑650), a high debt‑to‑equity ratio (8.51), ~74.5% institutional ownership and recent insider selling disclosed.

Shares of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-four brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and twenty-one have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $186.3810.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $204.00 to $203.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Moffett Nathanson reduced their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Live Nation Entertainment Price Performance

LYV opened at $156.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $36.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -650.02 and a beta of 1.15. Live Nation Entertainment has a 1 year low of $122.08 and a 1 year high of $175.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $157.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.42.

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($1.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.00) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Live Nation Entertainment had a net margin of 1.79% and a return on equity of 48.11%. Live Nation Entertainment's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.58 EPS. Analysts forecast that Live Nation Entertainment will post 1.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Live Nation Entertainment

In other Live Nation Entertainment news, Director Jeffrey T. Hinson sold 944 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $156,581.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 48,030 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,966,736.10. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Live Nation Entertainment

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LYV. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 3.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,376 shares of the company's stock worth $2,269,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 15.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 798 shares of the company's stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 6.0% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 27,496 shares of the company's stock worth $4,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 15.9% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 26,340 shares of the company's stock worth $3,983,000 after purchasing an additional 3,604 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 344.3% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the period. 74.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Live Nation Entertainment

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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