AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.14 EPS

AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.14), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $542.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $540.67 million. AMC Networks had a return on equity of 11.32% and a net margin of 3.87%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from AMC Networks’ conference call:

• The company reiterated its full-year outlook and emphasized strong cash generation, reporting $65 million of free cash flow in Q1 and reaffirming a 2026 target of at least $200 million in free cash flow, with consolidated revenue of ~$2.25 billion and AOI of ~$350 million.
• Streaming and distribution momentum — streaming revenue grew 11%, streaming is now the largest source of domestic revenue, the company reports ~10.1 million streaming subscribers and 1.8 million hard-bundle activations, and plans (including DirecTV bundling and FAST/channel expansion) should broaden reach.
• High-value content opportunity — the rights to The Walking Dead return in January 2027, the company is pursuing co-exclusive licensing with multiple interested partners, and expects significant monetization upside (not included in 2026 guidance).
• Profitability and revenue mix pressures — consolidated AOI fell 34% year-over-year to $69 million, domestic affiliate revenue declined 16% (driven by subscriber losses) and advertising was down 5%, with AOI weighted to the back half and Q2 expected to be the low point.
• Balance sheet and capital-return actions — the company retired/extended 2029 debt into 2032 maturities, plans to pay down term loan A and terminate its credit facility, reports pro forma net leverage ~3.5x, and announced an approximately $30 million accelerated share repurchase.

AMC Networks Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AMCX opened at $8.80 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $7.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. AMC Networks has a one year low of $5.41 and a one year high of $10.27. The company has a market cap of $375.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.67 and a beta of 1.31.

Key Headlines Impacting AMC Networks

Here are the key news stories impacting AMC Networks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AMC Networks raised its FY 2026 revenue outlook to roughly $2.3 billion, above the Street’s estimate of about $2.2 billion, signaling management sees stronger top-line performance ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: First-quarter revenue of $542.1 million came in slightly ahead of analyst expectations, suggesting the company’s core business held up better than feared. AMC Global Media Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company said streaming growth continued, but it was not enough to fully offset weakness in subscribers and advertising demand, leaving the broader turnaround story still incomplete. AMC’s streaming boom fails to offset subscriber losses, ad weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted quarterly EPS of $0.08 missed the consensus estimate of $0.22 and fell sharply from $0.52 a year ago, highlighting pressure on profitability. AMC Global Media (AMCX) Lags Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat on revenue, the earnings miss and year-over-year revenue decline of 2.4% suggest AMC Networks still faces headwinds from weaker ad sales and subscriber losses. AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) Posts Q1 CY2026 Sales In Line With Estimates

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AMC Networks news, CAO Michael J. Sherin III sold 5,963 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.96, for a total value of $47,465.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 10,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,758.08. This trade represents a 35.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 15.62% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AMCX. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in AMC Networks by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,244,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,366,000 after purchasing an additional 462,457 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in AMC Networks by 39.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,419,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,901,000 after purchasing an additional 399,478 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in AMC Networks by 1,309.4% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 346,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,303,000 after purchasing an additional 322,308 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in AMC Networks by 902.2% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 286,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after purchasing an additional 258,005 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in AMC Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,328,000. 78.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on AMCX. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AMC Networks in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AMC Networks from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $7.00 price objective on shares of AMC Networks in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus target price of $7.67.

AMC Networks Company Profile

AMC Networks Inc (NASDAQ: AMCX) is a global entertainment company that specializes in the development, production and distribution of premium content for television and streaming platforms. Headquartered in New York City, the company operates a portfolio of pay television channels in the U.S. and abroad, and offers direct-to-consumer streaming services that feature both original programming and licensed fare. AMC Networks is best known for critically acclaimed series such as “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men” and “The Walking Dead,” and it continues to invest in new scripted and unscripted content across a range of genres.

The company’s core television networks in the United States include AMC, IFC, Sundance TV and WE tv, while its joint venture with BBC Studios supports BBC America.