Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Sphere Entertainment Co. (SPHR) vs Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stability / Safety | LLYVK | Beta 0.94 vs SPHR's 1.65 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | SPHR | +172.8% vs LLYVK's +35.8% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | SPHR | -2.4% ROA vs LLYVK's -19.2%, ROIC -5.0% vs -29.8% |
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
Sphere Entertainment Co. is a live entertainment company that produces concerts, sporting events, and theatrical shows across iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall. It generates revenue primarily from ticket sales and event hosting at its venues — roughly 70% from live events — supplemented by its global network of dining and nightlife venues under brands like Tao and Hakkasan. The company's moat lies in its ownership of legendary, irreplaceable entertainment venues in prime locations and its portfolio of exclusive content like the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.
Liberty Live Group is a live entertainment company that produces and promotes concerts, festivals, and other live events. It generates revenue primarily from ticket sales, venue operations, and sponsorship deals — with ticket sales typically representing the largest portion. The company's competitive advantage lies in its established relationships with major artists, exclusive venue partnerships, and expertise in large-scale event production.
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
LLYVK leads in 2 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). SPHR leads in 1 (Total Returns). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
SPHR and LLYVK operate at a comparable scale, with $1.1B and -$2.7B in trailing revenue.
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $1.1B | -$2.7B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $24M | $179M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$101M | -$203M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $173M | $403M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +24.5% | — |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -22.1% | — |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -9.5% | — |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +16.3% | — |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +15.2% | — |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +5.1% | +83.8% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $817M | $6.4B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $1.8B | $5.3B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -20.95x | — |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 50.33x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 53.03x | — |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.80x | — |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.77x | — |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 7.00x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), LLYVK scores 3/9 vs SPHR's 2/9, reflecting mixed financial health.
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | -4.7% | — |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -2.4% | -19.2% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -5.0% | -29.8% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -6.3% | -3.1% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 2 | 3 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.63x | — |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $959M | -$1.1B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $560M | $1.1B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $1.5B | $0 |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -2.48x | -0.83x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in LLYVK five years ago would be worth $29,474 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $23,473 for SPHR. Over the past 12 months, SPHR leads with a +172.8% total return vs LLYVK's +35.8%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors SPHR at 62.1% vs LLYVK's 43.4% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +26.2% | +18.4% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +172.8% | +35.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +325.6% | +194.7% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +134.7% | +194.7% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +191.1% | +194.7% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +62.1% | +43.4% |
Risk & Volatility
LLYVK is the less volatile stock with a 0.94 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than SPHR's 1.65 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500.
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 1.65x | 0.94x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $120.27 | $102.62 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $23.89 | $60.55 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +99.0% | +97.1% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 69.5 | 70.2 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 639K | 355K |
Analyst Outlook
| Metric | SPHRSphere Entertainm… | LLYVKLiberty Live Group |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | — |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $121.67 | — |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 12 | — |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +4.2% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Sep 23 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphere Entertainmen… (SPHR) | 100 | 258.95 | +158.9% |
| Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) | 101.33 | 245.16 | +141.9% |
Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) returned +195% over 5 years vs Sphere Entertainmen… (SPHR)'s +135%. A $10,000 investment in LLYVK 5 years ago would be worth $29,474 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphere Entertainmen… (SPHR) | $1.1B | $1.0B | -7.9% |
| Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) | $0.00 | $0.00 | — |
Sphere Entertainment Co.'s revenue grew from $1.1B (2016) to $1.0B (2025) — a -0.9% CAGR.
Chart 3EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sphere Entertainmen… (SPHR) | -3.12 | -5.68 | -82.1% |
| Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) | -0 | 0 | +100.0% |
Sphere Entertainment Co.'s EPS grew from $-3.12 (2016) to $-5.68 (2025).
Chart 4Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Sphere Entertainment Co. generated $-309M FCF in 2025 (+40% vs 2021). Liberty Live Group generated $908M FCF in 2025 (+3732% vs 2021).
SPHR vs LLYVK: Frequently Asked Questions
7 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is SPHR or LLYVK a better buy right now?
Analysts rate Sphere Entertainment Co. (SPHR) a "Buy" — based on 12 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 — SPHR or LLYVK?
Over the past 5 years, Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) delivered a total return of +194.7%, compared to +134.7% for Sphere Entertainment Co. (SPHR). A $10,000 investment in LLYVK five years ago would be worth approximately $29K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: LLYVK returned +194.7% versus SPHR's +191.1%. 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 — SPHR or LLYVK?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) is the lower-risk stock at 0.94β versus Sphere Entertainment Co.'s 1.65β — meaning SPHR is approximately 75% more volatile than LLYVK relative to the S&P 500.
04Which has better profit margins — SPHR or LLYVK?
Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) is the more profitable company, earning 0.0% net margin versus -19.5% for Sphere Entertainment Co. — meaning it keeps 0.0% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: LLYVK leads at 0.0% versus -21.7% for SPHR. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — SPHR leads at 21.7%, 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.
05Which pays a better dividend — SPHR or LLYVK?
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.
06Is SPHR or LLYVK better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Liberty Live Group (LLYVK) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.94), +194.7% 10Y return). Sphere Entertainment Co. (SPHR) carries a higher beta of 1.65 — meaning larger drawdowns in market downturns, which matters significantly when you cannot wait years for a recovery. Both have compounded well over 10 years (LLYVK: +194.7%, SPHR: +191.1%), 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.
07What are the main differences between SPHR and LLYVK?
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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- Sector: Communication Services
- Market Cap > $100B
- Revenue Growth > 7%
- Gross Margin > 14%