Warner Music
About: Warner Music is the third-largest of the three major record companies. Recorded music accounts for most of the firm's revenue, with the segment housing notable record labels including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records. Some of the most successful current artists signed to record deals with Warner include Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa. Warner's remaining revenue comes from its publishing business, where Warner Chappell represents more than 180,000 songwriters and composers, some of whom are also Warner recording artists but many of whom are not recording artists or are attached to other labels. Warner Chappell controls more than 1 million musical compositions. Access Industries controls 98% of Warner's voting rights, while holding a 72% economic interest.
Employees: 5,800
0
Funds holding %
of 7,312 funds
0
Analysts bullish %
of 9 analysts
Fund manager confidence
Based on 2025 Q1 regulatory disclosures by fund managers ($100M+ AUM)
1,016% more call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $105M | Put options by funds: $9.38M
51% more repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 113 | Existing positions reduced: 75
28% more first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 50 | Existing positions closed: 39
4% more funds holding
Funds holding: 254 [Q4 2024] → 265 (+11) [Q1 2025]
2% more capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $4.57B [Q4 2024] → $4.65B (+$78.2M) [Q1 2025]
0% more funds holding in top 10
Funds holding in top 10: 4 [Q4 2024] → 4 (+0) [Q1 2025]
1.1% less ownership
Funds ownership: 103.32% [Q4 2024] → 102.22% (-1.1%) [Q1 2025]
Research analyst outlook
9 Wall Street Analysts provided 1 year price targets over the past 3 months
Low target
$28
6%
downside
Avg. target
$33
11%
upside
High target
$38
28%
upside
9 analyst ratings
5 positive
56%
4 neutral
44%
0 negative
0%
Barclays Kannan Venkateshwar | 1%upside $30 | Equal-Weight Maintained | 9 Jul 2025 |
B of A Securities Jessica Reif Cohen | 11%upside $33 | Neutral Upgraded | 9 Jul 2025 |
JP Morgan Alexia Quadrani | 11%upside $33 | Overweight Maintained | 7 Jul 2025 |
Bernstein Ian Moore | 14%upside $34 | Outperform Maintained | 3 Jul 2025 |
Citigroup Jason Bazinet | 14%upside $34 | Buy Maintained | 29 May 2025 |
Financial journalist opinion
Based on 4 articles about WMG published over the past 30 days
Neutral
Business Wire
1 day ago
Warner Music Group Corp. to Conduct Earnings Conference Call on Thursday, August 7, 2025
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Music Group Corp. will release its financial results on Thursday, August 7, 2025, for the third quarter ended June 30, 2025, and will hold an earnings conference call that morning at 8:30 a.m. ET. To access the conference call, please register here. Once registered, you will receive an email with unique dial in details with a PIN to join the call. We suggest you call in 10 minutes prior to the start time. If you do not anticipate asking a question, we recommend.
Positive
Proactive Investors
2 days ago
Warner Music upgraded by BofA on streaming deals, cost cuts
Warner Music Group Corp (NASDAQ:WMG) received an upgrade from Bank of America to "Neutral" from "Underperform," with analysts citing improved revenue visibility from new streaming deals and a recently announced $300 million cost-cutting program. Analysts raised their price objective on the stock to $33 from $28, saying Warner's recent agreements with digital streaming platforms (DSPs), including Spotify, will boost predictability in the company's subscription streaming business starting in fiscal 2026.
Positive
Reuters
1 week ago
Warner Music, Bain Capital launch JV to invest up to $1.2 billion in music catalogs
Warner Music Group and private equity firm Bain Capital are launching a joint venture to purchase up to $1.2 billion in music catalogs, the companies announced Tuesday.
Neutral
PRNewsWire
1 week ago
WARNER MUSIC GROUP AND BAIN CAPITAL ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF JOINT VENTURE TO INVEST UP TO $1.2 BILLION IN ICONIC MUSIC CATALOGS
NEW YORK and BOSTON , July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG), the global music entertainment company, and Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm, are launching a joint venture to allow for the purchase of up to $1.2 billion of legendary music catalogs across both recorded music and music publishing. The partnership was formed through equal equity commitments from WMG and Bain Capital.
Negative
Investopedia
1 month ago
Major Labels in Talks to License AI Use of Music, Report Says
Warner Music Group (WMG) shares fell on word the big music distributor was one of three firms negotiating with artificial intelligence (AI) startups to monetize AI use of its music catalog.
Neutral
GlobeNewsWire
1 month ago
Warner Music Group Corp. Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
NEW YORK, May 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warner Music Group Corp. (“Warner Music Group” or “WMG”) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share on WMG's Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. The dividend is payable on June 3, 2025, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 27, 2025.
Negative
Seeking Alpha
2 months ago
Warner Music Group: Still Overvalued
Warner Music Group is overvalued due to high market expectations and low growth rates, making it an unattractive investment at its current price. Recent earnings show declines in revenue and net income, indicating ineffective cost management and suboptimal financial performance. Warner's long-term debt is too high relative to net income, with a concerning debt-to-income ratio nearing 9 times.
Neutral
Seeking Alpha
2 months ago
Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ:WMG ) Q2 2025 Results Conference Call May 8, 2025 8:30 AM ET Company Participants Kareem Chin - Head of Investor Relations Robert Kyncl - Chief Executive Officer Bryan Castellani - Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Michael Morris - Guggenheim Securities LLC Benjamin Black - Deutsche Bank Kutgun Maral - Evercore ISI Batya Levi - UBS Kiscada Hastings - JPMorgan Stephen Laszczyk - Goldman Sachs Operator Welcome to Warner Music Group's Second Quarter Earnings Call for the period ended March 31, 2025. At the request of Warner Music Group, today's call is being recorded for replay purposes, and if you object, you may disconnect at any time.
Negative
Zacks Investment Research
2 months ago
Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) Lags Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.07 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.28 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.18 per share a year ago.
Neutral
GlobeNewsWire
2 months ago
Warner Music Group Corp. Reports Results for Fiscal Second Quarter Ended March 31, 2025
Financial Highlights Q2 Performance Driven by Revenue Growth Across Recorded Music and Music Publishing Cost Savings Plans on Track, With Reinvestment Initiatives Accelerating Year-to-Date Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Increased by 53% and 59%, Respectively For the three months ended March 31, 2025 Total revenue decreased 1% , or increased 1% in constant currency Net incom e decreased 63% to $36 million versus $96 million in the prior-ye ar quar ter Operating income increased 41% to $168 million versus $119 million in the prior-year quarter Adjusted OIBDA decreased 3% to $303 million , versus $312 million in the prior-year quarter, or 1% in constant currency Cash provided by operating activities increased to $69 million from cash used in operating activities of $31 million in the prior-year quarter NEW YORK, May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Warner Music Group Corp. today announced its second-quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2025. “Our strategy is starting to bear fruit, with our strongest chart presence in two years, translating to expanding new release market share in the US.
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