Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s LYV reported first-quarter 2025 results, wherein the bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but revenues missed the same.

The company’s results in the quarter were impacted by dismal Concerts and Ticketing revenues. However, LYV continues to benefit from the pent-up demand for live events. Live music continues to gain momentum heading into what could be a record-breaking 2025 summer concert season. Through mid-April, Live Nation has already sold 95 million tickets, reflecting strong double-digit growth over the same period last year, with stadium ticket sales soaring more than 80%. The global pipeline of stadium shows is also up 60%, pointing to significant expansion in large-scale live events.

LYV’s Q1 Earnings & Revenues

During the first quarter, the company reported adjusted loss per share (EPS) of 32 cents, which was narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 34 cents. In the year-ago quarter, the company reported an adjusted loss per share of 56 cents. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)

Revenues amounted to $3,382.1 million, missing the consensus mark of $3,485 million. Moreover, the top line declined 11% year over year.

LYV’s Segmental Discussion

Concerts: The segment’s revenues totaled $2.48 billion, down 14% year over year. Our model predicted the metric to fall 2.9% year over year. Adjusted operating income was $6.6 million against an adjusted loss of $1.8 million in the prior-year quarter. The total estimated events were 11,300, consistent with the prior year quarter.  

Ticketing: Segmental revenues amounted to $694.7 million, down 4% from the prior-year quarter. Our model estimated the metric to jump 9.3% year over year. Adjusted operating income was $253.1 million, down from $284.1 million reported in the prior-year quarter.

Sponsorship & Advertising: Revenues from this segment totaled $216.1 million, up 2% from the year-ago quarter’s figure. We estimated the metric to increase 2.9% year over year. Adjusted operating income was $136 million, up 5% year over year.

Other Financial Information of LYV

Live Nation's cash and cash equivalents, as of March 31, 2025, totaled $7.2 billion, up from $6.1 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024. At the end of the first quarter, goodwill was $2.7 billion compared with $2.62 billion at the end of 2024. Net long-term debt was $5.92 billion compared with $6.18 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024.

In first-quarter 2025, net cash provided by operating activities was $1.32 billion, up from $988.9 million reported in the year-ago period.

LYV’s Zacks Rank

Live Nation currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Key Picks

Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Consumer-Discretionary sector are TEGNA Inc. TGNA, American Outdoor Brands, Inc. AOUT and Sportradar Group AG SRAD.

TEGNA presently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
 
TEGNA delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.3%, on average. The stock has gained 19.6% in the past year. The consensus estimate for TEGNA’s 2026 sales and EPS implies growth of 11.3% and 93.8%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.
 
American Outdoor carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 79.6%, on average. The stock has gained 42.7% in the past year.
 
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for American Outdoor’s fiscal 2025 sales and EPS indicates growth of 3.7% and 93.8%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.

Sportradar Group presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.
 
The consensus estimate for Sportradar Group’s 2025 sales and EPS implies growth of 15.8% and 172.7%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Sportradar Group stock has surged 146.9% in the past year.

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Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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