Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Madison Square Garden Company $MSGS

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSGS) by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,943 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,318 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.36% of Madison Square Garden worth $19,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Amundi grew its holdings in Madison Square Garden by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 5,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Madison Square Garden by 8.0% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 27,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after acquiring an additional 2,006 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Madison Square Garden by 28.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 24,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,830,000 after acquiring an additional 5,452 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new stake in Madison Square Garden during the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Madison Square Garden by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 68.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Madison Square Garden News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Madison Square Garden this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on MSGS from $240 to $305 and assigned an “overweight” rating — signaling firm analyst conviction and potential upside from current levels (~9% uplift noted by the firm). This upgrade is a clear positive catalyst for buyer interest. JPMorgan Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlights and coverage emphasize strong revenue performance: revenue grew ~12.7% year-over-year to $403.4M and topped consensus — an encouraging sign for top-line momentum across MSGS’s sports and live-entertainment businesses. Positive commentary from management on revenue drove supportive market reaction. Q2 Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcripts and analyst previews are now available for detail review — useful for parsing guidance, segment trends (MSG Sports vs. other businesses), and management comments but not new catalysts by themselves. Review the transcripts if you need detail on ticketing, media rights, or cost items. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed consensus materially: MSGS reported $0.34 EPS vs. $0.66 expected (despite revenue beat). The earnings shortfall is the primary near-term negative — it can pressure sentiment until analysts and investors see sustained margin recovery or clearer guidance. Earnings Miss Coverage

Madison Square Garden Stock Performance

Madison Square Garden stock opened at $279.21 on Monday. The Madison Square Garden Company has a one year low of $173.26 and a one year high of $298.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $260.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -404.65 and a beta of 0.61.

Madison Square Garden (NYSE:MSGS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $403.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $394.58 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.05 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Madison Square Garden Company will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Madison Square Garden from $240.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Madison Square Garden from $285.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Madison Square Garden from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Madison Square Garden in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Madison Square Garden in a report on Monday, December 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Madison Square Garden currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $272.17.

Madison Square Garden Company Profile

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp (NYSE: MSGS) is a leading sports and entertainment holding company focused on professional sports franchises and related media assets. The company owns and operates teams such as the NBA’s New York Knicks, the NHL’s New York Rangers and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. Through these flagship franchises, MSG Sports offers a range of products and services including ticketing, premium seating and sponsorship opportunities, targeting fans in the New York metropolitan area and beyond.

In addition to team operations, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp holds a majority stake in MSG Networks, a regional cable network that broadcasts live sporting events, news and original programming.