Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:LYV) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,396 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 237 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Live Nation Entertainment were worth $440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LYV. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Live Nation Entertainment by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,302,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $945,635,000 after purchasing an additional 105,648 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,871,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $500,107,000 after purchasing an additional 108,293 shares during the last quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,977,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,575,000 after acquiring an additional 15,891 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Live Nation Entertainment by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,733,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,946,000 after buying an additional 445,704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in shares of Live Nation Entertainment in the 4th quarter valued at about $259,000,000. 74.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Brian Capo sold 5,066 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.24, for a total value of $624,333.84. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 10,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,300,058.76. This trade represents a 32.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Rowles sold 63,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.40, for a total value of $9,811,334.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 195,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,356,768.40. This trade represents a 24.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 68,702 shares of company stock worth $10,497,143. 2.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Live Nation Entertainment Stock Down 6.6 %

Shares of NYSE:LYV opened at $125.80 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.32. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $86.81 and a 52-week high of $157.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.10.

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.93) by $1.49. The business had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.67 billion. Live Nation Entertainment had a net margin of 3.90% and a return on equity of 139.09%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Live Nation Entertainment from $148.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a report on Tuesday. Macquarie raised their price target on Live Nation Entertainment from $146.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Live Nation Entertainment from $152.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Live Nation Entertainment from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $160.33.

Live Nation Entertainment Profile

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc operates as a live entertainment company worldwide. It operates through Concerts, Ticketing, and Sponsorship & Advertising segments. The Concerts segment promotes live music events in its owned or operated venues, and in rented third-party venues. This segment operates and manages music venues; produces music festivals; creates and streams associated content; and offers management and other services to artists.