Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 3,318 Shares of The Madison Square Garden Company $MSGS

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSGS) by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 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.’s holdings in Madison Square Garden were worth $19,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Madison Square Garden by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,116,000 after buying an additional 1,401 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its stake in shares of Madison Square Garden by 2.7% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 1,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Madison Square Garden by 1.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 4,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Madison Square Garden by 35.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Madison Square Garden in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.94% of the company’s stock.

Madison Square Garden Stock Up 2.0%

Madison Square Garden stock opened at $279.21 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $260.47 and its 200 day moving average is $229.44. The company has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of -404.65 and a beta of 0.61. The Madison Square Garden Company has a 12-month low of $173.26 and a 12-month high of $298.97.

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

Trending Headlines about Madison Square Garden

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MSGS shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Madison Square Garden from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Madison Square Garden from $285.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Madison Square Garden in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Madison Square Garden from $240.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered shares of Madison Square Garden from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Madison Square Garden presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.