TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:TKO) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:TKO) was the target of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 10,223,670 shares, a growth of 61.7% from the February 26th total of 6,321,729 shares. Currently, 11.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,396,973 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.3 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TKO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of TKO Group in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on TKO Group from $235.00 to $238.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on TKO Group from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Pivotal Research raised their target price on shares of TKO Group from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of TKO Group from $250.00 to $237.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at TKO Group

In related news, insider Seth D. Krauss sold 2,271 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.71, for a total value of $455,812.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Nick Khan sold 9,518 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.29, for a total value of $2,096,720.22. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 110,048 shares in the company, valued at $24,242,473.92. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 169,055 shares of company stock worth $34,535,105. Insiders own 61.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TKO Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TKO. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of TKO Group in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of TKO Group by 1,360.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of TKO Group in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in TKO Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of TKO Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 89.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

TKO Group Price Performance

TKO stock traded down $3.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $189.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,541,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,260,510. TKO Group has a 12 month low of $133.07 and a 12 month high of $226.94. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.06 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $204.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.66.

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

TKO Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. TKO Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 138.67%.

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.