StubHub Reports Significant Profitability Improvement in Q1
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 15 2026
0mins
Source: Fool
- Revenue Growth: StubHub's Q1 revenue increased by 12% year-over-year to $446 million, demonstrating sustained consumer enthusiasm for live events and solidifying its position in the ticketing market.
- Gross Merchandise Sales Rise: The platform's gross merchandise sales (GMS) grew by 7% to $2.2 billion, reflecting a healthy secondary ticketing market and strong consumer demand, which is expected to drive future revenue growth.
- Profitability Improvement: StubHub swung to a net profit of $48 million from a loss of $22.2 million in the year-ago quarter, indicating a significant enhancement in profitability as the company scales its operations and strengthens its financial stability.
- Future Growth Outlook: Management reaffirmed its GMS target for 2026 at $9.9 billion to $10.1 billion, with projected adjusted EBITDA of $400 million to $420 million, showcasing confidence in future growth plans to expand ticket supply by attracting more content rights holders.
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Analyst Views on STUB
Wall Street analysts forecast STUB stock price to rise
13 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 9.800
Low
16.00
Averages
23.80
High
45.00
Current: 9.800
Low
16.00
Averages
23.80
High
45.00
About STUB
StubHub Holdings, Inc. operates as a secondary ticketing marketplace for live events. The Company operates a ticketing marketplace through brands which include StubHub and viagogo. It provides StubHub Distribution Manager, which is a self-serve tool for event organizers, promoters, and venues to create, manage, and distribute tickets on StubHub. It offers tickets for concerts which include alternative music, country, dance and electronic music; experimental, folk, funk, heavy metal, Latin music, pop, rap and hip-hop; rhythm and blues; soul music, reggae, religious, rock music and vocal. It offers tickets for theatre events which include Broadway shows, classical music and opera; comedy, dance, family and fairs; musicals, plays, and convention. It operates in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles Metro, New York Metro, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Denver, Detroit, Nashville, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland, and Toronto.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Changing Consumer Trends: Amid inflation and economic uncertainty, lower-income consumers are cutting back on live music spending, creating a K-shaped demand curve where higher-income groups are increasing their spending while lower-income groups are pulling back.
- Market Dynamics: While overall concert demand is up nearly 10% year-over-year, demand for mid-size and smaller venues is declining, indicating that consumers are becoming more selective in their concert choices, prioritizing stadium tours and marquee festivals.
- Industry Outlook: Despite the pressure of rising ticket prices, Live Nation reports that less than 1% of shows have been canceled this year and predicts a record high in ticket sales for 2026, suggesting resilience in the market.
See More
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- Investor Expectation Reset: Baker believes that StubHub has reset investor expectations for both the remainder of this year and the next twelve months, anticipating that the company will outperform expectations in advertising and its direct ticket issuance business.
- Upcoming Major Events: With high-profile live events like next year's World Cup set to take place across various U.S. venues, Baker sees this as a significant growth opportunity for StubHub, enhancing its market position.
- Tech Collaboration and Cash Flow: StubHub's partnership with leading AI developer Anthropic highlights its commitment to next-generation technology, while its strong cash flow generation capabilities provide robust support for future growth.
See More
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- Upcoming Major Events: The analyst highlighted that high-profile live events, such as next year's World Cup, will provide significant business growth opportunities for StubHub, particularly across various venues in the U.S., further boosting the company's performance.
- Technological Collaboration: StubHub's partnership with AI developer Anthropic is expected to aid its business transformation; however, the analyst expresses caution regarding the future of experience commerce, suggesting that an economic slowdown could impact consumer spending on live events, though the company's strong cash flow provides a stable foundation.
See More
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- Rising Bond Yields: The 10-year T-note yield surged to a 16-month high of 4.69%, triggering risk-off sentiment that led to increased stock liquidation, further heightening market uncertainty and potentially prompting the Fed to adopt tighter monetary policies.
- Supportive Economic Data: April pending home sales rose by 1.4% month-over-month, surpassing expectations of 1.0%, and March figures were revised up to 1.7%, demonstrating resilience in the housing market that could provide some support for stocks.
- Oil Price Volatility: WTI crude prices fell nearly 1% following President Trump's comments on Iran, while the IEA reported a decline in global oil inventories of about 4 million bpd, suggesting that the market will remain undersupplied in the near term, impacting related energy stocks.
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- Rising Bond Yields: The 10-year T-note yield climbed to a 16-month high of 4.69%, intensifying concerns over rising inflation that may prompt the Fed to pursue tighter monetary policy, thereby impacting stock market performance.
- Supportive Economic Data: April pending home sales rose by 1.4% month-over-month, surpassing expectations of 1.0%, demonstrating resilience in the housing market that could provide some support for stocks, despite overall market pressures.
- Oil Price Volatility: WTI crude oil prices dropped over 1% today due to geopolitical factors, with market concerns about future supply tightness intensifying, potentially affecting stock performance in related sectors, particularly airlines and mining stocks.
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