NEW YORK, Dec. 27, 2025, 6:54 p.m. ET — Market closed
Lionsgate Studios Corp. stock (NYSE: LION) heads into the final trading days of 2025 on a strong note after a sharp Friday move that pushed shares back toward a new 52-week peak. The stock finished the Dec. 26 regular session at $9.31, up 4.61%, and traded slightly higher at $9.33 in late trading, according to widely followed market data trackers and the company’s investor relations quote page. [1]
With U.S. markets shut for the weekend, investors now have a full pause to assess what’s driving the latest momentum in Lionsgate—alongside the broader year-end market backdrop that’s been defined by thin post-holiday liquidity and a major-index push near record levels. [2]
Where LION stands heading into Monday
Friday’s rally put LION back on traders’ radar for two reasons:
- Price action near a new high: LION traded between $8.87 and $9.41 Friday, with $9.41 marking the top of its 52-week range ($5.55–$9.41). [3]
- Notable single-day activity: Volume was about 5.44 million shares on Friday, alongside a sizable percentage move for a mid-cap media name. [4]
At Friday’s close, Lionsgate Studios carried a market capitalization of roughly $2.7 billion, with trailing twelve-month revenue shown around $3.86 billion and trailing net income still negative—metrics that help explain why the stock can trade with higher sensitivity to catalysts, sentiment shifts, and analyst target changes. [5]
The broader market setup: thin liquidity, “Santa Claus rally” season, and near-record indexes
Lionsgate’s move also arrived during a session when the overall tape offered limited friction. Reuters described Friday as a light-volume post-Christmas session, with all three major indexes ending nearly flat and U.S. exchange volume running well below recent averages. [6]
Reuters also highlighted that investors are watching the seasonal “Santa Claus rally” window—typically the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the next year—while cautioning that low-liquidity stretches can amplify day-to-day moves in individual stocks. [7]
The past 48 hours: what’s actually new around Lionsgate
Company-specific headlines over the last two days have been relatively limited compared with the stock’s volatility, but two widely circulated items stood out:
- Institutional-position headline: MarketBeat reported that Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. disclosed a new stake of 398,423 shares (reported as a Q3 position) valued around $2.75 million. While the filing itself reflects an earlier-quarter snapshot, the story circulated this week and can influence near-term sentiment. [8]
- Legal headline risk: An Associated Press report published Dec. 26 said actor Mario Rodriguez filed a lawsuit alleging misconduct by filmmaker Tyler Perry and also sued Lionsgate, which distributed the film “Boo! A Madea Halloween,” alleging the studio turned a blind eye to the alleged conduct. Lionsgate did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment, the report said. [9]
Investors typically treat legal headlines as a sentiment and headline-risk factor until more details emerge (responses, court scheduling, potential insurance coverage, and any assessment of financial exposure). At this stage, the news is early and procedural, but it can still affect short-term trading in a stock already moving quickly.
Analyst outlook: price targets cluster around $9–$11, with named calls driving the top end
Wall Street’s current published price-target range suggests analysts see LION as a stock with upside potential—but with meaningful dispersion and timing risk.
One data compilation widely used by traders shows:
- Consensus rating: “Buy”
- Average price target:$9.11
- Range:$8 (low) to $11 (high) [10]
The same dataset lists recent notable analyst actions and the professionals behind them, including:
- Matthew Harrigan (Benchmark): maintained a bullish stance while lifting a target from $8.50 to $11 (dated Nov. 24, 2025 in the dataset). [11]
- Patrick Sholl (Barrington Research): maintained a Buy rating with an $8.50 target (multiple entries in November). [12]
- Vikram Kesavabhotla (Baird): initiated with a Buy/Outperform-style stance and an $8 target (listed as September coverage initiation). [13]
Separately, TipRanks’ analyst rollup shows an average target of $9.30 with a high forecast of $11 and low of $8, based on a smaller set of tracked analysts, and labels the consensus as bullish. [14]
A key takeaway for investors: while the “average target” sits close to where the stock has recently traded, the upper-end targets ($10–$11) can matter disproportionately for sentiment when a stock is printing new highs and drawing momentum participation.
Fundamentals to know: what the company highlighted in its latest quarterly update
The most recent major company-issued financial update still shaping the narrative is Lionsgate’s second quarter fiscal 2026 release (for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025). Lionsgate Studios reported $475 million in revenue and a net loss from continuing operations attributable to shareholders of $112 million (or $0.39 diluted loss per share). [15]
Two operational metrics in that release are frequently cited by bulls focused on the studio’s monetizable content base:
- Trailing 12-month library revenue rose 13% to a record $1.0 billion, the company said. [16]
- Backlog grew 31% sequentially to nearly $1.6 billion, per the release. [17]
Management also struck a forward-leaning tone. CEO Jon Feltheimer said the quarter was in line with expectations and pointed to “significant growth” ahead over the next couple of quarters and through fiscal 2027. [18]
Strategy catalyst investors cite: ad-supported streaming and FAST monetization
A major strategic thread behind recent Lionsgate optimism has been monetization of its content library through ad-supported streaming.
On Dec. 18, 2025, FreeWheel announced an expanded arrangement making it the exclusive ad-serving partner across Lionsgate’s U.S. portfolio of FAST channels, describing a path for media buyers to access Lionsgate’s streaming inventory through the FreeWheel SSP. [19]
The release included comments from executives on both sides:
- Lionsgate’s Chase Brisbin framed the move as a straightforward choice of a leading technology partner for its ad-supported FAST business. [20]
- FreeWheel’s Greg Bel characterized Lionsgate as an innovator with a large content library and a fast-growing ad-supported footprint, emphasizing yield and buyer access. [21]
While that announcement is not within the last 48 hours, it remains one of the clearest recent “strategic catalyst” explanations for why the market has been willing to re-rate the stock during December’s run.
What investors should watch before the next session
Because the NYSE is closed for the weekend, the next key decision point is Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, when trading resumes.
1) Know the NYSE session structure
For NYSE-listed names like LION, the NYSE lists the core session as 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, with a late trading session running to 8:00 p.m. ET for eligible venues/products. [22]
2) Year-end calendar: what’s open, what’s closed
Holiday scheduling matters for liquidity and volatility into year-end. Investopedia reports a full trading day on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31, 2025), with stock and bond markets closed on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2026), and notes bonds closing early at 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. [23]
Nasdaq’s published holiday calendar also shows the key late-December closures/early closes (including Dec. 25 closed). [24]
3) Macro catalysts that can move risk appetite
Even if no Lionsgate-specific news breaks, Monday’s broader-risk tone can set the direction for smaller media names. One market preview highlighted upcoming data points—including pending home sales and crude oil inventories—as potential drivers for the next session’s narrative. [25]
4) Levels traders are likely to focus on
With LION pressing its yearly high, two price areas stand out based on the most recent session:
- Resistance/inflection: the $9.41 high (the current 52-week top) [26]
- Near-term reference/support: the prior close area around $8.90 (and Friday’s $8.87 low) [27]
In thin year-end markets, breaks above or below obvious reference points can attract fast momentum flows—especially in stocks with active “target raise” chatter and visible catalysts like FAST monetization.
5) Watch for headline acceleration—either direction
Two categories are worth monitoring early Monday:
- Follow-through on the legal headline: any formal response, additional reporting, or clarification around Lionsgate’s involvement (distribution role vs. operational control) could quickly change sentiment. [28]
- Any new filings or analyst notes: LION has seen recent target moves from major firms in late 2025, and incremental updates can be price-relevant when the stock is near a breakout level. [29]
Bottom line
Lionsgate Studios Corp. enters the final week of 2025 with the stock near a fresh 52-week high, buoyed by a combination of December momentum, a clearer post-separation identity as a “pure-play” content company, and an investor narrative centered on library monetization and ad-supported streaming economics. [30]
With markets closed tonight, the next real test is whether the move holds when liquidity returns on Monday, Dec. 29, against a year-end tape that Reuters characterized as low-volume and headline-sensitive. [31]
References
1. stockanalysis.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. stockanalysis.com, 5. stockanalysis.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.marketbeat.com, 9. www.greenwichtime.com, 10. stockanalysis.com, 11. stockanalysis.com, 12. stockanalysis.com, 13. stockanalysis.com, 14. www.tipranks.com, 15. investors.lionsgate.com, 16. investors.lionsgate.com, 17. investors.lionsgate.com, 18. investors.lionsgate.com, 19. www.freewheel.com, 20. www.freewheel.com, 21. www.freewheel.com, 22. www.nyse.com, 23. www.investopedia.com, 24. www.nasdaqtrader.com, 25. www.investing.com, 26. stockanalysis.com, 27. stockanalysis.com, 28. www.greenwichtime.com, 29. stockanalysis.com, 30. stockanalysis.com, 31. www.reuters.com
