New York, May 21, 2026, 14:07 EDT
- Sirius XM rose about 6.8% in afternoon trading, outpacing the small gains in the major U.S. indexes.
- CFO Zac Coughlin spoke at an investor event on May 20. That was followed by new content-rights news. The move came after both.
- The stock is up, though subscriber numbers remain mixed.
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. shares gained Thursday, stretching out a two-day run. Traders are watching the company’s push into advertising, its hold on content rights, and new signs that the drop in subscribers isn’t as sharp.
The stock was trading at $28.90 at 2:07 p.m. EDT, up about 6.8% from Wednesday’s close. It earlier hit $29.22. Volume came in around 4.8 million shares. Market cap stood near $9.8 billion.
The stock did better than the main indexes. S&P 500 rose 0.25%, Nasdaq Composite gained 0.27% and Dow Jones Industrial Average put on 0.52%, according to LSEG data from Reuters.
SiriusXM shares rose after CFO Zac Coughlin spoke at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference in Boston, listed as a May 20 past event on the company’s website. The company is working to convince investors it can hold onto satellite-radio listeners as it tries to build its ad business with Pandora, podcasts, and streaming audio.
SiriusXM’s latest full quarter gave bulls something to work with. The company shed roughly 111,000 self-pay subscribers in Q1, a smaller decline than the 260,463 forecast by analysts polled via Visible Alpha. Revenue came in at $2.09 billion, beating LSEG’s $2.07 billion consensus. Podcast revenue was up 37%, Reuters said.
SiriusXM is making a bigger bet on ads. The company in April struck a deal to become YouTube’s exclusive U.S. audio ad sales partner, giving advertisers a way to buy YouTube audio together with spots on SiriusXM, Pandora, and podcasts. Romana Pawar, who leads product for YouTube Ads, said the move aims to help brands connect with users during “high-attention moments.” Reuters
The story moves ahead of competitors. Alphabet’s YouTube is still trying to grow music and podcast revenue. iHeartMedia is strong in audio and radio. Reuters said in April, citing Bloomberg, that iHeartMedia and SiriusXM started early merger talks. Neither company responded. Sources told Reuters a deal wasn’t guaranteed.
SiriusXM is keeping NASCAR races on its airwaves after signing a new multi-year agreement this week. The deal covers live Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and Craftsman Truck Series broadcasts. “NASCAR fans are incredibly passionate,” said Jared Fox, SVP for sports programming and content marketing at SiriusXM. Nick Skipper, a media strategy executive at NASCAR, said SiriusXM “brings fans closer to the sport.” Official Site Of NASCAR
SiriusXM is using its content to compete as it tries to fend off low-cost or free streaming competitors. The company says it has about 255 million monthly listeners across its subscription platform, Pandora, podcasts, and ad business.
Dividend remains in focus for SiriusXM, as it announced a $0.27 per share quarterly dividend. The payout date is May 27, with shareholders of record by May 11 eligible for the payment. SiriusXM says it has issued a dividend each quarter since it began the program in 2016.
Shares have less room after the recent rally. The company reported a fall in direct-paying subscribers in the first quarter, though the decline wasn’t as steep as some expected. Any slip in ads, auto sales, or podcasts may make the gains look stretched. If iHeart deal rumors return, that would bring fresh questions about how the company can execute and what that means for its balance sheet.
SiriusXM’s annual meeting is on May 28. Investors are focused on whether management can turn fresh content deals and new ad partners into steadier revenue growth, rather than just giving the stock a lift.
