ToplineLawyers representing the Department of Justice blasted Live Nation in a court filing days before the parties are set to head to trial over allegations Live Nation and Ticketmaster hold a monopoly over live entertainment, calling the ticketing company’s attempts to delay the trial “desperate.”Live Nation and the Justice Department are set to head to trial Monday. (Photo Illustration by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsThe Justice Department argued Live Nation requested a “needless ...

TD Cowen raised the firm’s price target on Live Nation (LYV) to $177 from $166 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm updatied its estimates to reflect Q4 2025 results and outlook for 2026. Another record year is expected for 2026, led primarily by Concerts as both supply and demand remain robust in both the U.S. and internationally. Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See Insiders’ Hot Stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on ...

Goldman Sachs raised its price target for NYSE:LYV to $175, indicating a potential upside of 7.58%.Live Nation reported a revenue of $6.31 billion in Q4 2025, an 11% increase year-over-year, driven by growth in Concerts revenues and Sponsorship and Advertising AOI.For the full year of 2025, the company achieved revenues of $25.2 billion, with operating income increasing by 52% year-over-year.Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV) is a leading live entertainment company known for promoting concerts and m ...

Core Insights - Live Nation Entertainment Inc. reported fourth-quarter revenue of $6.31 billion, exceeding market expectations of $6.13 billion [1] - For the full year 2025, the company generated revenue of $25.2 billion, reflecting a 9% increase from the previous year [1] Financial Performance - Operating income rose 52% to $1.3 billion, driven by record performance in the concerts division and improved international margins [2] - Ticketmaster generated $3.1 billion in revenue for 2025, while the sponsorship division achieved 11% growth to $845 million in adjusted operating income [4] Attendance and Market Trends - Fan attendance increased by 5% to 159 million, with international attendance surpassing U.S. levels for the first time in the company's history [2] - More than 80% of large-format shows for 2026 have already been booked, with North American ticket sales showing double-digit growth rates [3] Future Outlook - The company is positioned for another year of double-digit operating income growth due to a strong show pipeline and rising ticket demand [3] - Live Nation expects capital expenditures of up to $1.2 billion in 2026 to expand its venue footprint and infrastructure globally [4]

Core Insights - Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) reported fourth-quarter 2025 results with earnings and revenues exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate, showing a year-over-year revenue increase but a decline in earnings compared to the prior year [1][4]. Financial Performance - The company reported an adjusted loss per share of $1.06, which was narrower than the expected loss of $1.08, compared to an adjusted earnings per share of 56 cents in the same quarter last year [4]. - Revenues reached $6.31 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $6.07 billion, marking an 11% increase year over year [4]. Segment Performance - **Concerts**: Revenues totaled $5.15 billion, up 12% year over year, with an adjusted operating loss of $192.3 million, an improvement from a loss of $213.2 million in the prior-year quarter [5]. - **Ticketing**: Revenues amounted to $846.2 million, a 1% increase from the previous year, with adjusted operating income of $305.3 million, down 2% from $311.2 million [5]. - **Sponsorship & Advertising**: Revenues reached $329.9 million, up 17% year over year, with adjusted operating income increasing by 24% to $168.6 million [6]. Cash and Debt Position - As of December 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents totaled $7.09 billion, up from $6.1 billion a year earlier. Goodwill increased to $2.89 billion from $2.62 billion, while net long-term debt rose to $7.61 billion from $6.18 billion [7]. Annual Financial Highlights - For the full year 2025, revenues increased by 9% to $25.2 billion, with operating income surging 52% to $1.3 billion. Adjusted operating income rose 10% to $2.4 billion [9]. - Concerts remained the primary growth driver, with a record adjusted operating income of $687 million and margins of 3.3%. Global attendance increased by 5% to 159 million fans [10]. 2026 Outlook - Venue Nation is expected to host over 70 million fans in 2026, indicating high-single- to low-double-digit growth year over year. New venues are projected to add 5 to 7 million fans annually once fully operational [11]. - Planned capital expenditures for 2026 are estimated between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, with significant allocations for venue development and upgrades [13].

Group 1 - Live Nation Entertainment Inc is a leading live entertainment company known for promoting concerts and managing ticket sales, with a strong global presence in the concert and stadium business [1] - UBS raised its price target for Live Nation from $164 to $181, driven by strong demand in the concert segment and significant growth in its stadium business, particularly in the UK and Europe [2][6] - The company expects double-digit AOI growth, supported by robust sponsorship bookings [2] Group 2 - Live Nation is expanding its Venue Nation division globally, with successful arena acquisitions in Europe, enhancing its portfolio [3][6] - The company is working to reduce secondary ticket sales, leading to a substantial decrease in broker-listed tickets on its platform, contributing to its optimistic future [3] - Live Nation's market capitalization is approximately $36.56 billion, with a trading volume of 3,741,618 shares [5]

Core Viewpoint - Live Nation Entertainment Inc. is set to face an antitrust trial regarding allegations of monopolizing the live events market, as a federal judge denied the company's request to dismiss the case, which could potentially lead to the divestiture of its Ticketmaster unit [1][2]. Group 1: Legal Proceedings - A jury will evaluate whether Live Nation's actions in the concert business constitute illegal monopolization, with the trial scheduled to commence on March 2 [2]. - The judge allowed the government to pursue claims that Live Nation ties its amphitheater usage to concert promotion services and monopolizes the ticketing market, while dismissing claims related to monopolization of the concert promotion market [3][5]. - The dismissal of concert promotion claims may reduce the likelihood of a breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster, which merged in 2010 following a federal investigation [6][7]. Group 2: Market Control - Live Nation controls over 265 concert venues in North America and manages more than 400 musical artists, holding 87% of the concert ticketing market through Ticketmaster and over 65% of the concert promotion market [5]. - The judge noted that Live Nation "vastly overstated" the competitiveness of the ticketing market, suggesting a challenging environment for new entrants [5]. - The company's conduct in ticketing and concert promotions is described as "mutually reinforcing," which still factors into the allegations of ticketing monopolization despite the dismissal of concert promotion claims [7]. Group 3: Statements from Officials - New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed anticipation for the trial, asserting that Live Nation has exploited its monopoly to inflate costs through higher ticket prices and fees [8].

Core Insights - Live Nation (LYV) reported a revenue of $6.31 billion for the quarter ended December 2025, marking an 11.1% year-over-year increase, while the EPS was -$1.06 compared to $0.56 a year ago, indicating a significant decline in profitability [1] Financial Performance - The reported revenue exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.07 billion by 3.97%, and the EPS also surpassed the consensus estimate of -$1.08 by 2.2% [1] - Live Nation's shares have returned +11.5% over the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.8% change, although the stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell) [3] Concert Metrics - Estimated attendance for concerts totaled 41.37 million, slightly below the average estimate of 42.18 million [4] - The total fee-bearing number of tickets sold was 96.08 million, marginally lower than the estimated 96.32 million [4] - Revenue from concerts reached $5.15 billion, exceeding the average estimate of $4.93 billion, representing a 12.5% year-over-year increase [4] - Sponsorship & Advertising revenue was $329.9 million, surpassing the estimated $324.56 million, with a year-over-year increase of 17.3% [4] - Ticketing revenue was reported at $846.2 million, slightly above the estimated $843.04 million, reflecting a 0.6% year-over-year increase [4]

Live Nation (LYV) came out with a quarterly loss of $1.06 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $1.08. This compares to earnings of $0.56 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +2.20%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this ticket seller and concert promoter would post earnings of $1.21 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.73, delivering a surprise of -39.67%.Over the last four qua ...

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 19, 2026 05:00 PM ET Company ParticipantsAmy Yong - SVP of Investor RelationsJoe Berchtold - CFOKutgun Maral - DirectorMichael Rapino - CEOStephen Laszczyk - VPConference Call ParticipantsBatya Levi - Equity Research AnalystBrandon Ross - Partner and Media and Technology AnalystCameron Mansson-Perrone - Equity Research AnalystDavid Karnovsky - Senior Research AnalystPeter Henderson - Equity Research AnalystRobert Fishman - Senior Research A ...