Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $184.40.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Live Nation Entertainment from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Live Nation Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th.

Live Nation Entertainment Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of LYV stock opened at $150.10 on Friday. Live Nation Entertainment has a 12-month low of $113.20 and a 12-month high of $175.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $152.69 and a 200-day moving average of $149.70. The company has a market capitalization of $35.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -625.43 and a beta of 1.11.

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The company reported ($1.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.00) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Live Nation Entertainment had a net margin of 1.79% and a return on equity of 48.11%. The company’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Live Nation Entertainment will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Live Nation Entertainment news, Director Jeffrey T. Hinson sold 944 shares of Live Nation Entertainment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $156,581.28. Following the sale, the director directly owned 48,030 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,966,736.10. The trade was a 1.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 3.01% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Live Nation Entertainment

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LYV. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 102.4% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Live Nation Entertainment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in Live Nation Entertainment during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. bought a new position in Live Nation Entertainment in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 74.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.