iHeartMedia (NASDAQ:IHRT – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported ($0.61) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by ($0.12), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $884.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $871.50 million. iHeartMedia had a negative net margin of 7.28% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%.
Here are the key takeaways from iHeartMedia’s conference call:
- Consolidated revenue was $884 million, up 9.6% year‑over‑year, but Adjusted EBITDA was $93 million, slightly below guidance due to timing of non‑cash marketing expenses and March advertising softness related to macro/geo events.
- Management announced an additional $50 million of annualized cost savings beginning in H2 (on top of a prior $100M) and expects cash taxes to be effectively eliminated for 2026–2028, preserving roughly $150M–$200M of cash.
- The Digital Audio Group delivered strong growth with revenue up 18% to $327 million and podcast revenue of $147 million (up 26.9%), with podcasting margins accretive and the company positioning itself as the #1 podcast publisher and sales network.
- Multiplatform Group revenue rose 4.3% to $493 million but Adjusted EBITDA declined to $47 million from $70 million; management is focusing on programmatic, integrated sales, and bundling to return MPG to EBITDA growth and targets about $200 million of programmatic revenue in 2026.
- Q1 free cash flow was negative $114 million and net debt was approximately $4.7 billion (net leverage ~6.9x), yet the company reaffirmed full‑year guidance of $800M Adjusted EBITDA and $200M free cash flow and expects net leverage in the mid‑5s by year‑end.
iHeartMedia Trading Up 4.6%
Shares of IHRT traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.08. The stock had a trading volume of 414,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 916,801. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.79. iHeartMedia has a one year low of $1.11 and a one year high of $6.56. The firm has a market cap of $764.50 million, a PE ratio of -2.76, a P/E/G ratio of 52.64 and a beta of 2.33.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Read Our Latest Analysis on iHeartMedia
Insider Activity at iHeartMedia
In other news, CEO Robert W. Pittman acquired 32,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3.25 per share, with a total value of $105,521.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,214,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,198,545.25. The trade was a 0.53% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 10.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of iHeartMedia by 67.7% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,378 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of iHeartMedia by 42.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 18,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 5,591 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of iHeartMedia by 15.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 43,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 5,684 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in iHeartMedia by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 6,186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its position in iHeartMedia by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 30,328 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 6,790 shares in the last quarter. 93.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
iHeartMedia Company Profile
iHeartMedia, Inc (NASDAQ: IHRT) is a leading media and entertainment company specializing in radio broadcasting, digital streaming and live events. The company operates more than 860 full-power AM and FM radio stations across the United States, delivering music, news, sports and talk programming to local markets. Through its flagship digital platform, iHeartRadio, the company provides listeners with free and subscription-based access to thousands of live radio stations, curated music playlists and on-demand podcasts.
Originally founded in 1972 as Clear Channel Communications, the business rebranded to iHeartMedia in 2014 to reflect the growing importance of its digital and event-driven offerings.
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