TKO Group Holdings management check
TKO · Communication Services · Movies & Entertainment · CEO Ariel Emanuel
Filings as of
4 good · 1 to watch · 2 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Good
Have owners done well?
Beat its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2023 grew to $213, against $205 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 3 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.74 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Flag
What does the CEO cost owners?
12.3% of net income$67.4m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $546.3m of net income.
- Good
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are buyingThe CEO holds 271,375 shares, directly or through trusts (unvested awards not counted): about 0.8 years of pay. 4 insiders bought $5.5m on the open market in the last six months, with their own money, near the lows. Sales: $28.5m.
- Watch
Are owners being diluted?
Stock pay 2.5% of revenueStock-based pay was 2.5% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
4 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Ariel Emanuel. 4 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Flag
Are the books clean?
Red flags on file1 auditor change (8-K 4.01) since 2023.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Communication Services.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 55 | 27 | |
| Pay for performance | 87 | 76 | |
| CEO cost | 0 | 72 | |
| Skin in the game | 49 | 75 | |
| Dilution | 83 | 65 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 93 | |
| Clean books | 30 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Movies & Entertainment, by management score. TKO Group Holdings is 13th of 18 in its sector.
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed April 23, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ariel Emanuel | $67.4m | $102.2m | $25.3m | $213 | $205 | $546.3m |
| 2024 | — | $18.1m | $40.6m | $16.5m | $143 | $151 | $6.4m |
| 2023 | — | $64.9m | $56.6m | $8.4m | $82 | $107 | $175.7m |
The board says pay is tied most to Adjusted EBITDA.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Ariel Emanuel (Chief Executive Officer) held 271,375 shares directly after their latest Form 4 on Sep 14, 2026, roughly $51.6m at that filing's price.
4 insiders bought $5.5m on the open market in the last six months, with their own money, near the lows. Sales: $28.5m.
- BoughtAriel EmanuelChief Executive Officer$2.0mMay 13, 2026
- BoughtMark S ShapiroSee Remarks$2.0mMay 13, 2026
- BoughtJonathan KraftDirector$988kMay 14, 2026
- BoughtAndrew M SchleimerChief Financial Officer$500kMay 13, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Aug 8, 2024Auditor change8-K 4.01
- Jan 29, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 23, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 23, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 12, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Sep 12, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Jun 12, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $1.3bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 181% of net income, and $381.0m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.0bn | $2.7bn | $3.2bn | $4.9bn | $4.7bn |
| Net income | — | $0 | $175.7m | $6.4m | $546.3m |
| Stock-based pay | $63.9m | $31.6m | $64.5m | $103.5m | $117.6m |
| Buybacks | — | $0 | $100.0m | $165.0m | $866.8m |
| Dividends | — | — | — | — | $185.2m |
| Diluted shares | — | — | 83m | 172m | 194m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.