One-glance verdict
Undervalued
$102.60 our estimate vs market $7.38
93% below our estimate, below the bear case
Fundamentals snapshot
Live Ventures Incorporated
LIVE · NCM · Consumer Cyclical · Home Improvement Retail
Current price
$7.38
52-week range
$7.00 - $22.70
Market cap
$22.67M
Balance sheet
Distressed
1.08x Concerning
Net debt $214.26M. Interest coverage shows how many times profit covers the interest bill.
What stands out
1 Reward
3 Risks
1 rewards · 3 risks
- Reward Free cash flow was positive in 10/10 years.
- Risk Net debt grew 49.3% over 3 years.
- Risk Operating margin compressed from 10.7% to 4.9% over 3 years.
- Risk Return on equity was -2.8% last year — the company lost money on shareholders' equity.
What this company does
Live Ventures Incorporated
Live Ventures Incorporated sells a variety of products and services, including flooring, steel, and entertainment items like movies and video games. Their main income comes from these diverse businesses, which makes their overall financial performance a mix of different industries. This matters because it means they aren't solely reliant on one type of product, but also face risks from all the sectors they operate in.
How the company got here
Live Ventures Incorporated has a long history, originally founded in 1968. However, the company's current form began to take shape in late 2011 when Jon Isaac became CEO and a strategic investor. [1, 2, 6] By 2015, the company was refocused into a diversified holding company, meaning it owns and operates various other businesses. [1, 5] This strategy involves acquiring well-run, middle-market companies with a history of growth and profitability, aiming to increase their value through investment and operational improvements. [1, 2, 5] Over the years, Live Ventures has acquired companies in diverse sectors such as textiles, flooring, tools, steel, entertainment, and financial services. [1, 7]
What it actually does
Live Ventures Incorporated operates as a holding company, meaning it owns and manages a collection of different businesses. [3, 8] These businesses span various industries, including retail, manufacturing (flooring and steel), and financial services. [1, 4] The company's strategy is to acquire companies that are already successful and then invest in them to drive further growth. [1, 2, 5] Live Ventures does not pay a dividend (a portion of profits shared with shareholders) but has a stock repurchase program, which allows it to buy back its own shares from the market. [6]
Retail-Entertainment
This segment is primarily composed of Vintage Stock, an entertainment retailer. [1, 4] It offers a wide variety of products, including new and used movies, video games, music, books, comics, toys, and collectibles. [1, 4] Vintage Stock also provides services like rentals, special orders, and repairs for video game hardware. [1, 4] The business model encourages customers to buy, trade, and sell items, offering a unique value proposition. [5] In the third quarter of 2026, this segment saw revenue growth of 13%, with operating income and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization - a measure of a company's profitability) increasing by 34% and 29%, respectively. [10]
Retail-Flooring
This segment involves the retail sale and installation of flooring, carpeting, and countertops. [1, 4] It serves a range of customers, including individual homeowners, builders, and contractors. [1, 4] However, this segment has faced challenges, with softness in the new-home construction and home-refurbishment markets impacting its performance. [10] In the third quarter of 2026, revenue in this segment decreased, partly due to a decline in overall company revenue. [10]
Flooring Manufacturing
Live Ventures' Flooring Manufacturing segment, which includes Marquis Industries, is a significant contributor to the company's revenue. [3, 7] This business designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes carpets, rugs, yarn products, and hard-surface flooring. [1, 7] They focus on serving the residential, niche commercial, and hospitality markets, selling to flooring dealers, home centers, and directly to commercial clients. [1, 7] For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, this segment's revenue increased slightly by 2.8%, but its gross margin decreased due to higher raw material costs. [10]
Steel Manufacturing
The Steel Manufacturing segment, primarily represented by Precision Marshall, is a key part of Live Ventures' operations. [1, 4, 7] This business manufactures and supplies pre-finished de-carb free tool and die steel, industrial knives, and hardened wear products. [1, 4] They also produce engineered parts and components for various industries, including appliance, automotive, and medical products. [1] This segment has shown growth, with revenue increasing by 7% in the third quarter of 2026, and operating income and Adjusted EBITDA rising by 69% and 16%, respectively. [10]
What management is betting on now
Live Ventures' management is focused on a "buy-build-hold" strategy, which involves acquiring companies, investing in their growth, and holding them for the long term. [1, 2, 5] They are actively seeking value-oriented acquisitions of domestic middle-market companies, prioritizing businesses with a strong track record of earnings growth and cash flow generation. [1, 2, 5] The company also has a stock repurchase program, authorizing it to buy back up to $10 million of its own shares, indicating a potential belief that its stock is undervalued. [6] Management aims to build shareholder value through operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation. [5]
Price history
How the share price has moved
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Earnings history
Last 8 quarters — what happened
Click any quarter to read the call summary and what the numbers say.
FY2024 Q4
$3.26M
FY2025 Q1
$7.58M
FY2025 Q2
$-2.27M
FY2025 Q3
$10.84M
FY2025 Q4
$4.82M
FY2026 Q1
$8.51M
FY2026 Q2
$-4.71M
FY2026 Q3
$5.31M
Revenue
—
Net income
$-1.06M
Diluted EPS
-0.34
Operating cash flow
$7.60M
Free cash flow
$5.31M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
—
Net income
$-2.45M
Diluted EPS
-0.80
Operating cash flow
$-2.79M
Free cash flow
$-4.71M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
$108.54M
Net income
$-64.00K
Diluted EPS
-0.02
Operating cash flow
$9.85M
Free cash flow
$8.51M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
$113.89M
Net income
$997.00K
Diluted EPS
-1.52
Operating cash flow
$6.76M
Free cash flow
$4.82M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
$112.53M
Net income
$5.39M
Diluted EPS
1.24
Operating cash flow
$12.28M
Free cash flow
$10.84M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
$107.01M
Net income
$15.87M
Diluted EPS
5.05
Operating cash flow
$231.00K
Free cash flow
$-2.27M
Fetching…
Sources
Revenue
$111.51M
Net income
$492.00K
Diluted EPS
0.16
Operating cash flow
$9.40M
Free cash flow
$7.58M
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Sources
Revenue
$112.74M
Net income
$-19.87M
Diluted EPS
-6.31
Operating cash flow
$6.73M
Free cash flow
$3.26M
Fetching…
Sources
Is it cheap or expensive?
Fair value $102.60 vs current price $7.38
Our most-likely fair value is $102.60 a share — about 1,290.3% above today's price of $7.38, so the stock currently looks cheap (undervalued).
Is it drowning in debt?
Distressed
Net debt $214.3M. Interest coverage 1.1x.
Net debt
$214.26M
Interest coverage
1.08x
Live Ventures Incorporated's profit covers its interest bill about 1.1 times over. which is stronger than most peers shown here and 1 peers sit below 1x, which is the danger zone where profit does not fully cover the interest bill.
Distressed
Worse cushion
Baseline
Better cushion
LIVE
BASELINE
Live Ventures Incorporated
Total debt $225.16M Interest coverage 1.08x This is the baseline the peer rows are being compared against.
Total debt $159.84M Interest coverage -141.80x -100% vs LIVE This peer has almost no interest-payment cushion compared with LIVE.
Total debt $82.71M Interest coverage 160.10x +14,783% vs LIVE Carries about 148.8x more debt cushion than LIVE.
Total debt $230.71M Interest coverage 4.13x +284% vs LIVE Carries about 3.8x more debt cushion than LIVE.
What you should know
The case for and against LIVE
1 Reward
3 Risks
Rewards
-
Free cash flow was positive in 10/10 years.
Risks
-
Net debt grew 49.3% over 3 years.
-
Operating margin compressed from 10.7% to 4.9% over 3 years.
-
Return on equity was -2.8% last year — the company lost money on shareholders' equity.
The numbers
All the key metrics, grouped by purpose
Tap any ? icon to learn what it means.
Valuation
How expensive the stock looks
P/E (TTM)
—
Forward P/E
0.98x
P/B
0.25x
P/S
0.05x
EV/EBITDA
7.87x
PEG ratio
—
Profitability
How much profit each dollar creates
Gross margin
33.1%
Operating margin
4.9%
Net margin
-0.6%
ROE
-2.8%
ROA
2.3%
Health
Liquidity and balance-sheet strength
Debt / equity
2.45x
Current ratio
1.35x
Quick ratio
0.39x
Total debt
$225.16M
Total cash
$10.90M
Growth
How the business has been compounding
Revenue TTM
$441.98M
Revenue 5Y CAGR
13.0%
EPS TTM
-1.20
EPS 5Y CAGR
-14.3%
Cash flow
How much cash the business throws off
Operating CF TTM
$21.42M
Free CF TTM
$20.98M
FCF margin
4.7%
Dividend
Shareholder payout
Yield
0.0%
Payout ratio
0.0%
Last ex-div date
2005-07-12