Vivid Seats (NASDAQ:SEAT) Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Vivid Seats (NASDAQ:SEAT) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $10.00 target price on Vivid Seats and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Vivid Seats in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vivid Seats in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Vivid Seats from $12.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Vivid Seats from $18.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vivid Seats currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.27.

Vivid Seats Stock Up 4.4%

SEAT opened at $5.90 on Thursday. Vivid Seats has a twelve month low of $5.06 and a twelve month high of $62.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.09 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $6.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.81.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Vivid Seats by 270.0% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 7,862 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Vivid Seats by 2.7% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 297,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 7,940 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vivid Seats in the 4th quarter worth $97,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vivid Seats by 44.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 51,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after buying an additional 15,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new stake in shares of Vivid Seats in the 4th quarter worth about $135,000. 39.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Vivid Seats

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.