NEW YORK, June 17, 2026, 09:15 EDT
- Lionsgate Studios shares slipped in premarket trading. The stock jumped almost 14% in Tuesday’s session after talk of a possible Netflix buyout.
- Netflix told TheWrap it isn’t looking to buy Lionsgate and has “no plans” to go after the studio. This comes after Semafor said Netflix was one of several media players interested. TheWrap
- Baird bumped up its price target on Lionsgate to $20 and stuck with its Outperform call, with the NYSE’s regular session set to start at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
Lionsgate Studios Corp. stock dropped before the bell Wednesday, giving up some gains after Netflix shot down talk it was chasing a deal for the Hollywood studio. The shares had hit an all-time high Tuesday on the takeover chatter.
The stock was at $15.45 in premarket, off 5.6% from where it finished Tuesday at $16.36. Shares closed up 13.9% on Tuesday. Premarket trading happens before the main session and can be thin, with bigger price swings.
Lionsgate is trading with a takeover premium again after its split from Starz, while talk of deals heats up among big media names. The NYSE trades from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in New York. The exchange will close Friday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
Netflix is one of the media firms showing interest in buying Lionsgate, Semafor said Tuesday, but the report noted Netflix hasn’t put in a formal offer. Lionsgate wouldn’t comment to Semafor.
Netflix isn’t going for it. A spokesperson told TheWrap the streamer was “not interested” in a deal and doesn’t plan to make an offer, TheWrap reported. Lionsgate reps didn’t comment. TheWrap
Baird raised its price target on Lionsgate to $20 from $18 and kept an Outperform rating, according to Benzinga’s analyst-ratings page. That came after the denial, which didn’t wipe out all support for the stock. A price target is where an analyst thinks a stock might trade in the next 12 months. It’s not a promise.
Lionsgate points to its library of over 20,000 film and TV titles, with franchises like “John Wick” and “The Hunger Games.” The company describes itself as a standalone “pure play” content business, handling both film and television production and distribution. SEC
Lionsgate posted fourth-quarter revenue of $906.5 million. Operating income came in at $117.5 million. Adjusted OIBDA was $165.4 million, which is the best quarter for that measure in 12 years. The numbers added fuel for bullish investors.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said in the earnings statement that the company’s library posted $1 billion in trailing 12-month revenue for the third quarter in a row. He also said branded, repeatable properties now account for over half of its film, TV, and live entertainment projects.
Battle for content is putting pressure on the market. On an April earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said, per Semafor, that Netflix had “built our M&A muscle” as it looked at Warner Bros. Discovery. The Paramount Skydance deal for Warner and moves for top content are pushing attention to smaller libraries. M&A stands for mergers and acquisitions. Semafor
The risk is clear: no one may step up to buy. If Netflix keeps denying interest and other buyers stay on the sidelines, Lionsgate stock could lose more of the gains it saw from the takeover talk Tuesday and start trading based again on its film lineup, library cash, debt, and choppy TV delivery schedule. Lionsgate said in its statement film and TV numbers could get hit by funding needs, budget blowouts, tough markets, rivals, and price moves.
