Craig Hallum Upgrades Vivid Seats (NASDAQ:SEAT) to “Buy”

Vivid Seats (NASDAQ:SEAT) was upgraded by analysts at Craig Hallum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $15.00 price target on the stock. Craig Hallum’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 154.24% from the company’s current price.

SEAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vivid Seats in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Vivid Seats from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $5.65 target price on shares of Vivid Seats in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $7.00 target price on Vivid Seats in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 target price on Vivid Seats in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.27.

Vivid Seats Trading Up 4.4%

NASDAQ:SEAT opened at $5.90 on Friday. Vivid Seats has a 52 week low of $5.06 and a 52 week high of $62.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $6.69 and its 200-day moving average is $9.81. The firm has a market cap of $63.31 million, a P/E ratio of -0.09 and a beta of 0.95.

Vivid Seats (NASDAQ:SEAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($10.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.81) by ($8.58). The firm had revenue of $126.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $137.18 million. Vivid Seats had a positive return on equity of 21.28% and a negative net margin of 75.21%. Equities analysts expect that Vivid Seats will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vivid Seats

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Vivid Seats by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,784,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,084,000 after buying an additional 322,461 shares during the period. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Vivid Seats during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,330,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Vivid Seats during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $634,000. Plan Group Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Vivid Seats by 73.9% in the second quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 102,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 43,619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Vivid Seats in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.92% of the company’s stock.

Vivid Seats News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vivid Seats this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Craig Hallum upgraded SEAT from “hold” to “buy” and set a $15 price target, signaling conviction from at least one analyst that the stock has meaningful upside. Craig Hallum Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Company provided 2026 and Q1 2026 guidance that targets a path back to profitability (FY 2026 adjusted EBITDA $30–$40M; Q1 adj. EBITDA $8–$10M; Q1 cash ~$125–$135M), which investors can view as a roadmap for operational recovery. Earnings Release & Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Benchmark lowered its price target from $18 to $10 but kept a “buy” rating — a mixed signal that still implies upside despite weaker near-term results. Benchmark PT Lowered
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC lowered its target from $12 to $8 and moved to “sector perform” — the note reduces near-term enthusiasm but still leaves modeled upside from current levels. RBC Price Target Change
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results were weak: Marketplace GOV down ~42% YoY, revenue down ~37% YoY, massive non‑cash impairment charges and a net loss of ~$429M for Q4 — the operational decline and impairments triggered the large earnings miss and pressure on equity. Q4 Financials
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say the company’s loan situation is in “deeper distress” after the weak results, highlighting elevated leverage, lower cash (quarter-end cash ~ $103M) and potential creditor concerns that could pressure the stock. Loan Distress Article
• Negative Sentiment: Management disclosed a new app-store/regulatory risk that could raise costs or limit mobile distribution over time — a potential margin headwind for a marketplace that increasingly relies on app engagement. App Store Risk Disclosure

Vivid Seats Company Profile

Vivid Seats, traded on NASDAQ under the ticker SEAT, operates an online ticket marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of live event tickets. The company specializes in facilitating purchases for sports games, concerts, theater productions and other entertainment experiences. Through its digital platform and mobile application, Vivid Seats offers real-time access to available tickets, transparent pricing and a 100% Buyer Guarantee, which ensures ticket authenticity and timely delivery.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Vivid Seats has grown from a regional reseller into one of North America’s leading ticket marketplaces.