Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) vs TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) 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 | TKO | 68.9% revenue growth vs MSGS's 1.2% |
| Value | MSGS | Better valuation composite |
| Quality / Margins | TKO | 4.1% net margin vs MSGS's -1.5% |
| Stability / Safety | MSGS | Beta 0.66 vs TKO's 0.75 |
| Dividends | TKO | 0.4% yield; 1-year raise streak; MSGS pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | MSGS | +62.8% vs TKO's +50.1% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | TKO | 1.3% ROA vs MSGS's -1.1%, ROIC 5.3% 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
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.
TKO Group Holdings is a sports and entertainment company that operates major professional wrestling promotions including WWE and UFC. It generates revenue primarily from media rights deals and content distribution (~60%), live event ticket sales and merchandise (~25%), and sponsorships and advertising (~15%). The company's moat lies in its ownership of iconic, globally recognized wrestling and mixed martial arts brands with decades of fan loyalty and extensive content libraries.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
TKO leads in 4 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). MSGS leads in 1 (Valuation Metrics). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
TKO is the larger business by revenue, generating $4.7B annually — 4.4x MSGS's $1.1B. TKO is the more profitable business, keeping 4.1% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to MSGS's -1.5%. On growth, TKO holds the edge at +61.6% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $1.1B | $4.7B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $8M | $1.3B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$17M | $195M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $3M | $1.2B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +25.9% | -43.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +0.4% | +17.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -1.5% | +4.1% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +0.3% | +26.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +12.8% | +61.6% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +6.5% | -144.4% |
Valuation Metrics
On an enterprise value basis, TKO's 22.1x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than MSGS's 140.6x.
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $1.5B | $26.0B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $2.5B | $29.2B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -356.62x | 99.06x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 37.18x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 83.11x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 140.57x | 22.15x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.45x | 5.49x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 4.71x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 17.08x | 20.23x |
Profitability & Efficiency
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +2.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -1.1% | +1.3% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +1.5% | +5.3% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +1.5% | +6.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.44x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $1.0B | $3.2B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $153M | $831M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $1.2B | $4.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 0.73x | 8.95x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in TKO five years ago would be worth $44,052 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $16,534 for MSGS. Over the past 12 months, MSGS leads with a +62.8% total return vs TKO's +50.1%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors TKO at 40.0% vs MSGS's 20.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +28.1% | +8.2% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +62.8% | +50.1% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +73.5% | +174.1% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +65.3% | +340.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +340.5% | +1297.3% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +20.2% | +40.0% |
Risk & Volatility
MSGS is the less volatile stock with a 0.66 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than TKO's 0.75 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500.
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.66x | 0.75x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $345.46 | $226.92 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $173.26 | $133.07 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +96.0% | +98.7% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 65.7 | 63.4 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 195K | 717K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates MSGS as "Buy" and TKO as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 4.5% upside for TKO (target: $234) vs -0.6% for MSGS (target: $330). TKO is the only dividend payer here at 0.43% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | MSGSMadison Square Ga… | TKOTKO Group Holding… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $329.75 | $233.90 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 28 | 18 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +0.0% | +0.4% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 1 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.03 | $0.95 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.8% | +3.3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | 100 | 215.99 | +116.0% |
| TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) | 100 | 432.53 | +332.5% |
TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) returned +341% over 5 years vs Madison Square Gard… (MSGS)'s +65%. A $10,000 investment in TKO 5 years ago would be worth $44,052 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | $1.1B | $1.0B | -6.8% |
| TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) | $729M | $4.7B | +549.3% |
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s revenue grew from $1.1B (2016) to $1.0B (2025) — a -0.8% CAGR. TKO Group Holdings, Inc.'s revenue grew from $729M (2016) to $4.7B (2025) — a 23.1% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | -6.9% | -2.2% | +68.8% |
| TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) | 4.6% | 11.3% | +142.5% |
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s net margin went from -7% (2016) to -2% (2025). TKO Group Holdings, Inc.'s net margin went from 5% (2016) to 11% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | 22.4 | 92.5 | +312.9% |
| TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) | 72.8 | 92.5 | +27.1% |
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. has traded in a 22x–96x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~-357x. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. has traded in a 15x–93x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~99x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Square Gard… (MSGS) | -3.12 | -0.93 | +70.2% |
| TKO Group Holdings,… (TKO) | 0.44 | 2.26 | +413.6% |
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.'s EPS grew from $-3.12 (2016) to $-0.93 (2025). TKO Group Holdings, Inc.'s EPS grew from $0.44 (2016) to $2.26 (2025) — a 20% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. generated $88M FCF in 2025 (+346% vs 2021). TKO Group Holdings, Inc. generated $1B FCF in 2025 (+823% vs 2021).
MSGS vs TKO: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is MSGS or TKO a better buy right now?
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) offers the better valuation at 99.1x trailing P/E (37.2x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) a "Buy" — based on 28 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 — MSGS or TKO?
Over the past 5 years, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) delivered a total return of +340.5%, compared to +65.3% for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS). A $10,000 investment in TKO five years ago would be worth approximately $44K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: TKO returned +1297% 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 — MSGS or TKO?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (MSGS) is the lower-risk stock at 0.66β versus TKO Group Holdings, Inc.'s 0.75β — meaning TKO is approximately 14% more volatile than MSGS relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — MSGS or TKO?
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is the more profitable company, earning 11.3% net margin versus -2.2% for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. — meaning it keeps 11.3% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: TKO leads at 17.6% versus 1.4% for MSGS. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — MSGS leads at 27.0%, 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 MSGS or TKO more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for TKO: 4.5% to $233.90.
06Which pays a better dividend — MSGS or TKO?
In this comparison, TKO (0.4% yield) pays a dividend. MSGS does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
07Is MSGS or TKO better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.75), +1297% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (TKO: +1297%, MSGS: +340.5%), 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 MSGS and TKO?
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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