You’re looking for the Life Time Fitness stock symbol because you want to own a piece of that "athletic country club" life, right? It makes sense. The gyms are gorgeous. The towels are fluffy. The membership prices are, well, significant. But if you type "LIFE" or "FIT" into your brokerage app, you’re going to be staring at a whole lot of nothing—or worse, the wrong company entirely.
Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is looking for the name they see on the building. Life Time is a massive brand, but its life on the stock market has been a bit of a rollercoaster, including a long period where it wasn't even public.
The Actual Life Time Fitness Stock Symbol is LTH
If you want to trade this thing today, the ticker you need is LTH. It stands for Life Time Group Holdings, Inc., and it trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
As of early 2026, the company is very much public, but it hasn't always been that way. This is actually Life Time’s second stint as a public company. They first went public back in 2004, then got scooped up by private equity firms (Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital) in a $4 billion deal in 2015. They stayed "dark" for about six years before returning to the NYSE in October 2021.
Why does this matter? Because the "new" LTH is a different beast than the old one. It’s not just about treadmills anymore.
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What exactly are you buying with LTH?
When you buy the life time fitness stock symbol LTH, you aren't just betting on people making New Year's resolutions. You are betting on a massive real estate and lifestyle ecosystem. Bahram Akradi, the founder and CEO, has shifted the strategy toward "athletic country clubs."
They’ve branched out into:
- Life Time Work: High-end co-working spaces.
- Life Time Living: Luxury residences.
- Miora: Longevity and anti-aging clinics.
- Pickleball: They have become one of the largest operators of pickleball courts in the country.
Why the Market Cares About LTH Right Now
The stock has been an interesting play lately. In late 2025 and heading into 2026, analysts have been keeping a close eye on their "sale-leaseback" strategy. Basically, Life Time builds these massive, expensive facilities, sells the actual building to a real estate investor, and then leases it back.
This gives them a huge pile of cash to pay down debt or build the next club. It's a savvy move, but it also means they have long-term rent obligations.
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Recent earnings reports (like the Q3 2025 beat) showed that revenue is climbing—hitting nearly $3 billion annually—and membership numbers are holding steady even as they hike prices. People seem willing to pay for the luxury experience even when the economy gets a little shaky. It turns out, if you're the kind of person who pays $300 a month for a gym, you’re probably the last person to cancel that membership when inflation hits.
The Numbers You Should Know
If you're looking at the ticker today, here is the quick "cheat sheet" for where things stand:
- The Symbol: LTH (NYSE)
- Market Cap: Around $5.8 billion to $6 billion.
- Price Range: It has spent much of the last year swinging between $24 and $35.
- Next Earnings: Estimated for late February 2026.
What Most People Get Wrong
One of the weirder things about LTH is the confusion with Planet Fitness (PLNT). They are in the same industry, but they are polar opposites. Planet Fitness is a volume game—cheap memberships, lots of people. Life Time is a margin game—expensive memberships, fewer people, way more amenities.
Don't let the "fitness" label fool you. LTH behaves more like a luxury hospitality stock (think Hilton or Hyatt) than a traditional gym stock.
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Another nuance: the debt. Because they own and build so much real estate, their balance sheet looks a lot heavier than a tech company or a franchise-heavy gym. You have to be okay with a company that carries a significant debt load to fuel its expansion into New York, Brooklyn, and other high-rent markets.
Actionable Steps for Potential Investors
If you're thinking about adding LTH to your portfolio, don't just look at the stock chart.
- Check the Leverage: Watch their debt-to-EBITDA ratio. Management has been working hard to get this down toward 2.0x or lower. If that number creeps up, the stock usually takes a hit.
- Visit a Club: It sounds simple, but see if the parking lot is full. Are they actually opening the new "Work" and "Living" locations they promised?
- Watch the Sale-Leasebacks: These deals are the engine of their cash flow. If the real estate market cools off and they can't sell their buildings at a premium, their growth might stall.
- Mind the Symbol: Again, it’s LTH. Don't accidentally buy a life insurance company or a biotech firm with a similar name.
The fitness industry is notoriously fickle, but Life Time has carved out a niche that feels more like a lifestyle choice than a chore. Whether that translates to long-term stock gains depends on how well they manage their massive infrastructure and if they can keep the "country club" vibe exclusive enough to justify those premium prices.