Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) vs Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | LYV | 8.8% revenue growth vs MSGS's 1.2% |
| Value | MSGS | Better valuation composite |
| Quality / Margins | LYV | 3.7% net margin vs MSGS's -1.5% |
| Stability / Safety | MSGS | Beta 0.66 vs LYV's 0.90 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | MSGS | +62.8% vs LYV's +13.1% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | LYV | 3.9% ROA vs MSGS's -1.1%, ROIC 343.5% vs 1.5% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Live Nation Entertainment is the world's largest live entertainment company, operating concerts, festivals, and venue management globally. It generates revenue primarily through concert promotion and production (~60%), ticketing services via Ticketmaster (~30%), and sponsorship/advertising deals (~10%). Its key competitive advantage is its vertically integrated ecosystem—controlling artists, venues, ticketing, and sponsorships—which creates powerful network effects and barriers to entry.
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. is a professional sports holding company that owns major league franchises including the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL). It generates revenue primarily from media rights deals, ticket sales and premium seating, and arena sponsorships — with media rights being the largest contributor. The company's moat lies in its ownership of iconic, geographically-protected professional sports franchises in the lucrative New York market, which creates scarcity value and strong brand loyalty.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
LYV leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). MSGS leads in 1 (Risk & Volatility). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
LYV is the larger business by revenue, generating $24.6B annually — 22.9x MSGS's $1.1B. LYV is the more profitable business, keeping 3.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to MSGS's -1.5%.
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $24.6B | $1.1B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $1.8B | $8M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $899M | -$17M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $1.6B | $3M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +46.2% | +25.9% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +4.7% | +0.4% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +3.7% | -1.5% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +6.6% | +0.3% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +11.1% | +12.8% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -56.0% | +6.5% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, LYV's 17.8x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than MSGS's 140.6x.
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $38.2B | $1.5B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $33.7B | $2.5B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -675.58x | -356.62x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 101.03x | — |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 17.83x | 140.57x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.51x | 1.45x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 42.03x | — |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 114.42x | 17.08x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), LYV scores 6/9 vs MSGS's 5/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +45.4% | — |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +3.9% | -1.1% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +3.4% | +1.5% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +11.3% | +1.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 2.93x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$4.5B | $1.0B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $7.1B | $153M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $2.6B | $1.2B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 3.95x | 0.73x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in LYV five years ago would be worth $17,461 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $16,534 for MSGS. Over the past 12 months, MSGS leads with a +62.8% total return vs LYV's +13.1%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors LYV at 31.0% vs MSGS's 20.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +11.6% | +28.1% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +13.1% | +62.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +125.0% | +73.5% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +74.6% | +65.3% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +637.3% | +340.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +31.0% | +20.2% |
Risk & Volatility
MSGS is the less volatile stock with a 0.66 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than LYV's 0.90 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. MSGS currently trades 96.0% from its 52-week high vs LYV's 92.5% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.90x | 0.66x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $175.25 | $345.46 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $112.88 | $173.26 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +92.5% | +96.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 59.9 | 65.7 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 2.2M | 195K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates LYV as "Buy" and MSGS as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 11.8% upside for LYV (target: $181) vs -0.6% for MSGS (target: $330).
| Metric | LYVLive Nation Enter… | MSGSMadison Square Ga… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $181.20 | $329.75 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 43 | 28 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | +0.0% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 1 | 0 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | $0.03 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.1% | +0.8% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) | 100 | 248.34 | +148.3% |
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | 100 | 215.99 | +116.0% |
Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) returned +75% over 5 years vs Madison Square Gard… (MSGS)'s +65%. A $10,000 investment in LYV 5 years ago would be worth $17,461 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) | $7.8B | $25.2B | +222.0% |
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | $1.1B | $1.0B | -6.8% |
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s revenue grew from $7.8B (2016) to $25.2B (2025) — a 13.9% CAGR. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s revenue grew from $1.1B (2016) to $1.0B (2025) — a -0.8% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) | 0.0% | 2.0% | +5134.0% |
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | -6.9% | -2.2% | +68.8% |
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s net margin went from 0% (2016) to 2% (2025). Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s net margin went from -7% (2016) to -2% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 4 Years
| Stock | 2018 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) | 109 | 47.3 | -56.6% |
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | 22.4 | 92.5 | +312.9% |
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. has traded in a 47x–109x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~-676x. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. has traded in a 22x–96x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~-357x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Nation Enterta… (LYV) | -0.23 | -0.24 | -4.3% |
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | -3.12 | -0.93 | +70.2% |
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s EPS grew from $-0.23 (2016) to $-0.24 (2025). Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s EPS grew from $-3.12 (2016) to $-0.93 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. generated $334M FCF in 2025 (-79% vs 2021). Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. generated $88M FCF in 2025 (+346% vs 2021).
LYV vs MSGS: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is LYV or MSGS a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) a "Buy" — based on 43 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which is the better long-term investment — LYV or MSGS?
Over the past 5 years, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) delivered a total return of +74.6%, compared to +65.3% for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS). A $10,000 investment in LYV five years ago would be worth approximately $17K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LYV returned +637.3% versus MSGS's +340.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
03Which is safer — LYV or MSGS?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) is the lower-risk stock at 0.66β versus Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.'s 0.90β — meaning LYV is approximately 36% more volatile than MSGS relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — LYV or MSGS?
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (LYV) is the more profitable company, earning 2.0% net margin versus -2.2% for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. — meaning it keeps 2.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: LYV leads at 5.0% versus 1.4% for MSGS. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — LYV leads at 46.2%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
05Is LYV or MSGS more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for LYV: 11.8% to $181.20.
06Which pays a better dividend — LYV or MSGS?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
07Is LYV or MSGS better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.66), +340.5% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (MSGS: +340.5%, LYV: +637.3%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between LYV and MSGS?
Both stocks operate in the Communication Services sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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