Key Points
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StubHub posted $48 million in net income for Q1 2026, its first profitable quarter since the end of 2024.
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Despite June’s gains, StubHub stock remains more than 45% below its September 2025 IPO closing price.
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Analyst firm Guggenheim initiated coverage on June 13 with a buy rating and a $12.50 price target.
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Shares of StubHub (NYSE: STUB) rose 30.5% in June 2026, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. After spending most of its post-IPO life trading well below the debut price, investors finally found reasons to cheer.
The gains came from a confluence of factors, including a surprisingly profitable quarter, a product launch aimed at festival-goers, and the small matter of the world’s biggest soccer tournament arriving on American soil. Soccer fans need tickets, you know.
Profits? In this economy?
StubHub’s Q1 results, reported in mid-May, showed $48 million in net income and earnings of $0.09 per basic share. That’s up from a net loss of $0.12 per share in the year-ago quarter, and the first positive earnings figure since Q4 2024. Revenue hit $446 million, up 12% year over year, and margins expanded as StubHub’s marketplace model started generating operating leverage.
In other words, the company is finally making money on all those ticket sales. Wall Street noticed. On June 13, Guggenheim initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $12.50 price target, and the stock began climbing. The firm cited the “experience economy” tailwind and StubHub’s position as the scaled leader in ticket resales.
And that’s not the whole story. At the start of the month, StubHub launched FestProtect, a protection platform designed for the specific indignities of festival attendance. Rained-out headliner? Potential compensation. Favorite artist canceled the night before? Potential compensation. Stuck behind a 6’5″ stranger like yours truly, while your friends text you how amazing the visuals are? Believe it or not, StubHub may send you some compensation.
The launch positioned StubHub ahead of peak festival season, with activations planned for Governors Ball, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, and other major events.
But wait, there’s still more.
The grand soccer gala provided a backdrop, too. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in mid-June across North American venues, and StubHub had flagged the tournament as a “tier 1 event” for its ticket resale platform.
The company also used the occasion for some goodwill. Through its Access initiative, StubHub sent student groups in California and New York to matches, including a high school pre-med club in Inglewood that met FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer. Nice PR, but also a reminder that the World Cup is genuinely a big deal for the ticketing business.
The fine print
June was a great month, but StubHub has been a difficult stock to love so far. Even now, after last month’s massive jump, the stock sits 45.3% below the closing price on Sept. 16 2025 — StubHub’s first day on the public stock market. By comparison, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index rose 13.3% over the same period.
So June’s mighty leap was a rebound, not a victory march. Looking ahead, StubHub’s management guided to roughly $10 billion of gross merchandise sales in 2026 with adjusted EBITDA profits near $410 million. The company expects growing fan interest in North American events (including the FIFA World Cup), expansion into Europe and South America, and stronger profit margins.
For long-term shareholders, June was a start. The next few quarters will determine whether it was also a turning point.
Full disclosure: I’m adding to StubHub’s Q2 numbers tonight, buying Ariana Grande tickets for my daughter. She’s thrilled; I’m just the driver and some poor soul’s blocked view. Either way, we appreciate StubHub’s assistance.
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Anders Bylund has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
