TKO Group (NYSE:TKO) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of TKO Group (NYSE:TKO) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on TKO. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of TKO Group in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of TKO Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on TKO Group from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen cut TKO Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of TKO Group in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $232.25.

TKO Group Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of TKO stock opened at $196.98 on Monday. TKO Group has a 1-year low of $136.11 and a 1-year high of $226.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $204.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $199.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $38.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.55 and a beta of 0.69.

TKO Group (NYSE:TKO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.20). TKO Group had a return on equity of 2.07% and a net margin of 4.13%.The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that TKO Group will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TKO Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. TKO Group’s payout ratio is 138.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Nick Khan sold 9,518 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.31, for a total value of $1,916,068.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 119,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,069,831.46. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew M. Schleimer sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.98, for a total value of $2,419,316.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 27,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,563,337.12. This trade represents a 30.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 91,187 shares of company stock worth $18,556,295. 61.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TKO Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of TKO Group by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,249,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,060,106,000 after buying an additional 887,401 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of TKO Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 5,006,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,046,287,000 after buying an additional 42,156 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of TKO Group by 54.9% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,185,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,826,000 after buying an additional 1,128,749 shares during the period. XN LP lifted its holdings in shares of TKO Group by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. XN LP now owns 2,866,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,191,000 after buying an additional 169,574 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in TKO Group by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,373,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,008,000 after purchasing an additional 395,040 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.79% of the company’s stock.

Key TKO Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting TKO Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded TKO from “strong sell” to “hold,” which reduces near-term downside pressure from that sell-side source and may attract marginal buying interest. Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Brand activation win: Drumstick announced a partnership with WWE superstar Cody Rhodes (WrestleMania promotion), signaling continued sponsorship demand and consumer-brand monetization opportunities for TKO’s WWE assets. Drumstick PR
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate event: TKO scheduled its Q1 2026 results release and a 5pm ET earnings call for May 6, giving investors a clear upcoming catalyst (revenues, margins, and any guidance/comments on media rights or cost synergies will matter). Business Wire
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Nick Khan sold 9,518 shares (~$1.89M) under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. While pre-arranged plans reduce informational inference, the sale is being noted by the market and can be perceived as a mild negative signal. InsiderTrades
• Negative Sentiment: Wrestling-related PR and storyline concerns: several pieces about controversial exec coverage and a “botched” Pat McAfee storyline / CM Punk remarks could sustain short-term fan/consumer sentiment volatility for WWE content, which matters for viewership and sponsorship sentiment. These items increase narrative risk ahead of the earnings call. Ari Emanuel piece Bleacher Report MSN/CM Punk

About TKO Group

TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) is a global sports and entertainment company formed in 2023 through the combination of two major combat-sports businesses. The company brings together the mixed martial arts organization UFC and the sports entertainment business WWE under a single publicly traded holding company. TKO owns and manages a portfolio of live-event franchises, intellectual property, and media rights centered on combat and sports-entertainment content.

TKO’s core activities include the promotion and production of live events, the licensing and sale of broadcasting and streaming rights, and the development and commercialization of branded consumer products.