Is iHeartMedia's 2025 Outlook Optimistic? J.P. Morgan Analyst Weighs In

Anusuya Lahiri

March 10, 2025

J.P. Morgan analyst Sebastiano C Petti reiterated an Underweight rating on iHeartMedia, Inc (NASDAQ:IHRT).

iHeart announced weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter 2024 results with revenue (+5% versus guidance of high-single-digit growth) and EBITDA ($246 million versus guidance of $290 million) below attributable to lower political and non-political revenue.

Despite the light fourth-quarter trends and soft first-quarter 2025 guidance (revenue down low-single digits), management affirmed its 2025 revenue (flat) and EBITDA ($770 million) guidance.

Also Read: Supermicro’s AI Boom, Liquid Cooling Edge Spark Analyst Confidence In Growth Potential

While Petti is encouraged by iHeart’s anticipated net cost savings of $150 million in 2025, the analyst noted the company’s 2025 guidance is somewhat optimistic given ongoing secular pressures in broadcast radio, difficult political comps, and gross margin degradation.

Petti now looks for $725 million of fiscal 2025 EBITDA (versus $735 million earlier).

The challenged macroeconomic environment is impacting iHeart revenue as advertising spend slows, which is resulting in margin compression given the company’s high operating leverage despite more resilient digital revenue trends. While iHeart will de-lever, Petti remained wary of the company’s leverage profile, citing the uncertainty in the ad market despite no significant maturities until mid-2026.

Petti projected first-quarter revenue of $791 million and adjusted EPS of $(0.43).

Price Action: IHRT stock is down 9.84% at $1.65 at last check Monday.

Also Read:

Nasdaq Plans 24-Hour Trading To Tap Global Investor Demand

Image via Shutterstock.

Recommended

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession - Ad

The Market Just Crossed a Dangerous Line - Ad

Trump Just Signed s.1582 Into Law - Now the Countdown Begins... - Ad

HONG KONG (AP) — Alice Zhang, a 29-year-old marketer in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, has spent only roughly half what she did last year during the festival, switching to cheaper choices and giving up on buying new shoes after pay was cut by more than 20%.

Velo3D Stock Soars After Q3 Earnings: Highlights From The Report

Shares of Velo3D, Inc. (NASDAQ:VELO) are rising Tuesday after the metal 3D printing company reported third-quarter earnings results.

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks - Ad

Futurist Eric Fry say Amazon, Tesla and Nvidia are all on the verge of major disruption. To help protect anyone with money invested in them, he's sharing three exciting stocks to replace them with. He gives away the names and tickers completely free in his brand-new "Sell This, Buy That" broadcast.

Trump Threatens Air Traffic Controllers Amid Shutdown Chaos; Pete Buttigieg Says He 'Wouldn't Last Five Minutes' in Their Job

President Donald Trump has demanded that all air traffic controllers return to work as the nation's aviation system endured another wave of mass flight cancellations, caused by staffing shortages due to the prolonged government shutdown.

Weekend Round-Up: TSMC Trade Secrets Lawsuit, Google Deepmind Scientist's Market Slam, Baidu Layoffs, Amazon's Court Victory And More

From allegations of trade secret leaks at Taiwan's TSMC to layoffs at Baidu Inc, here's a recap of tech news this week.

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next - Ad

Trump's turning tiny mining stocks into overnight fortunes... and this little-known rare earths miner could be his next billion-dollar BUY. If Trump cuts a deal you could see a 50% to 200% pop overnight. But you must act before the next deal hits the wire.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Blue Chip Stock Near 52-Week Low

Marjorie Taylor Greene is known for buying multiple stocks at a time, based on recent disclosures. A new filing shows one stock bought in November.

The Key to a Winning 401(k)

: when to start, how much to save, and where to invest. The investing decision has drawn more attention as government regulators work to open 401(k) plans to alternative assets such as .

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call - Ad

Weiss expert Sean Brodrick went out on a limb last year and declared a historic event would send the yellow metal to $3,150. People laughed at him at the time, but he was off by just two days. Now, Sean has a shocking new prediction for gold ... and reveals a little-known way to get ahead of this bull market.

Trump Says Tariffs Have Made US 'Rich, Strong, Powerful And Safe:' 'We Have All The Cards'

Trump claims tariffs enriched US, boosted military, prevented wars, improved education, and gained global respect.

Japan's SoftBank says it has sold its shares in Nvidia for $5.8 billion

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. said Tuesday that it has sold all the Nvidia Corp. shares that it owned for $5.83 billion, while it reported higher than expected profit in the first half of this fiscal year.

If You Hold Any Dollars in Your Bank Account, Read This...

If You Hold Any Dollars in Your Bank Account, Read This... - Ad

Strange events are unfolding in the global financial system. A monetary reset dubbed the "Mar-a-Lago Accord" is quietly in motion, and the financial elite are already taking protective action. If history is any guide, you could lose up to 40% of your wealth in the next two years. Move your money before it's too late.

Airbus Orders Emergency Recall Of 6,000 A320 Jets After JetBlue Incident, Triggering Global Flight Delays And Holiday Travel Chaos

Airbus SE (OTC: EADSF) ordered immediate repairs to A320-family aircraft on Friday, recalling 6,000 jets after a recent JetBlue incident.

How Tyson's Chicken Business Will Offset Beef Weakness

Tyson shares rise as pricing catch-up expected to ease cost pressures; chicken strength offsets beef headwinds amid stable feed costs.

Trump's DOGE Payouts Keep Flowing (Up to $32K a Year)

Trump's DOGE Payouts Keep Flowing (Up to $32K a Year) - Ad

Musk may be out, but Trump's DOGE program keeps paying. Ordinary Americans can collect up to $8,276 every 3 months - as much as $32K a year. No gimmicks, no federal workers allowed. Start with just $10 and 5 minutes before the next payout hits.

Bill Gates Shares His Top 5 Winter Book Picks To Rethink Life, Work, Future

Bill Gates shares his top 5 book picks for the holiday season, covering topics such as aging, climate change, innovation and communication.

Dogecoin Fakes A Rally Then Dumps 3%—But Why?

Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) fell close to 3% on Tuesday, as large holders shifted roughly $32 million worth of DOGE to exchanges, putting sellers back in control.

Better Than Bitcoin? (Top Crypto for Less Than $1)

Better Than Bitcoin? (Top Crypto for Less Than $1) - Ad

Over the past 15 years, Bitcoin has outperformed stocks, bonds, and every other asset you could've bought. 2025 is already shaping up to be another banner year, with Bitcoin recently hitting a new all-time high. But there's a better way to profit from this new crypto rally. Most people don't know about it... and yet it's returned over 1,000% in 4 months. This could be the #1 way to invest in crypto right now.

Trump attacks ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce in angry response to three sharp questions

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump denounced ABC News' Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” Tuesday and threatened the network's license to broadcast after she asked him three sharp questions at the White House.

Yemen's Houthi rebels signal that they've stopped attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels are signaling they’ve stopped their as a holds in the Gaza Strip.

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account?

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account? - Ad

A former hedge fund manager is now sharing his "Skim Codes" with regular people. They're not stocks. They're not crypto. They're 18-character codes designed to profit from recent market conditions. All you have to do is punch them into an ordinary brokerage account. 84% of these codes have given people the chance to generate cash payouts so far... and his next code is going out any day now.

Consumers should do their research before giving in to Travel Tuesday temptation

NEW YORK (AP) — Chain stores have . Online marketplaces have . For local businesses, it's .

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Takes Charge Of AI Strategy At Chipmaker After CTO Sachin Katti Departs For ChatGPT-Parent OpenAI

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has taken direct control of the company's AI strategy following CTO Sachin Katti's departure to OpenAI, marking another major leadership shake-up amid rising competition in the AI chip race.

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession - Ad

Elon Musk: "Tesla will become a $25 trillion company." That would make Tesla 8x bigger than Apple today. How is that possible? He admits it's all thanks to this one AI breakthrough that will take AI out of our computer screens and manifest a 250x boom here in the real world.

OpenAI's Partners Rake Up $96 Billion Debt as AI Industry's Borrowing Trend Escalates

Companies supplying data centers, chips, and processing power to OpenAI have racked up a staggering $96 billion in debt to fund their operations.

Joan Branson, wife of British billionaire Richard Branson, dies at 80

Joan Branson, the wife of British billionaire Richard Branson, has died at age 80.

The Market Just Crossed a Dangerous Line

The Market Just Crossed a Dangerous Line - Ad

The man who predicted the 2008 crash and 2020 says today's soaring markets are NOT a bubble - they're something far stranger and more dangerous. He says it's about to change everything you know about money.

Rand Paul Slams GOP's Shift From Fiscal Conservatism: They Voted To Add '$5 Trillion' To The Debt Ceiling — Calls It 'Decimation'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed the Republican Party for abandoning the fiscal discipline it once championed, while accusing his colleagues of embracing massive governmental deficits and greenlighting spending levels they previously opposed.

TSMC Ex-VP's Home Raided As Chip Giant Alleges Intel Recruit Leaked Trade Secrets

Taiwan prosecutors raided the homes of a former TSMC vice president accused of leaking advanced chipmaking secrets to Intel, a claim Intel firmly denies as the high-stakes investigation intensifies.

Trump Just Signed s.1582 Into Law - Now the Countdown Begins...

Trump Just Signed s.1582 Into Law - Now the Countdown Begins... - Ad

A quiet shift in U.S. law has just authorized private companies to mint a new form of government-authorized money called the "Dollar 2.0"... and the next major mint hits on December 18. Investors who make the right moves before then could make up to 40X by 2032...

Trump Withdraws Support For 'Wacky' Marjorie Taylor Greene In Sudden, Fiery Split: 'I Can't Take...'

President Donald Trump said he is withdrawing his endorsement of longtime ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — here's what happened.

Sweden promises action against illegal sex doll sales

BERLIN (AP) — The Swedish government promised on Friday to fight the sale of childlike sex dolls online after instances of such commerce had been reported earlier in the country.

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks - Ad

Trump Bars South Africa From 2026 G20 Summit In Florida, Freezes Aid Over 'White Genocide'

President Donald Trump directed that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, Florida. He also declared that all U.S. payments and subsidies to the country would be immediately suspended.

Canada's prime minister and Alberta's premier sign pipeline deal that could reverse oil tanker ban

TORONTO (AP) — and the premier of Canada’s oil rich province of Alberta agreed Thursday to work toward building a pipeline to the Pacific Coast to diversify the country’s oil exports beyond the United States, in a move that has caused turmoil in Carney's inner circle.

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next - Ad

AT&T reached a $177M data breach settlement. What consumers should know about claiming their money

NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T has reached a combined $177 million settlement over two . And impacted consumers have a little over a month left to file a claim for their chunk of the money.

S&P Calls Tether 'Weak' — Meanwhile It's Buying More Gold Than Central Banks

Tether (CRYPTO: USDT) just got slapped with the lowest possible stability score from S&P G

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call - Ad

FDA names longtime cancer scientist Pazdur to lead drug center

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday named a longtime regulator of cancer medicines to lead the agency's drug center, replacing the who was recently ousted after an .

Trending Now