Slowing economy hurts this spinoff

Article Excerpt

LIVEONE INC. $0.79 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol LVO; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 87.5 million; Market cap: $69.1 million; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.liveone.com) operates LiveXLive, a live music streaming platform; PodcastOne, a podcasting platform; and Slacker, an integrated membership and advertising streaming music service. The company now plans to set up its podcasting business as a separate firm called PodcastOne and hand out shares in that business to its current shareholders. The new shares will trade on Nasdaq under the “PODC” symbol. LiveOne has not yet announced the details of this spinoff, but will continue to own about 86% of this unit. The company is also considering spinning off the Slacker business in 2024. However, LiveOne continues to lose money, and advertising and subscription revenue could suffer if the economy slows in 2023. LiveOne is a hold. hold…