Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on DIS. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $134.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.61.

Walt Disney Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of DIS stock opened at $102.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $92.18 and a 52-week high of $117.09. The company has a market capitalization of $177.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $102.92 and its 200 day moving average is $101.59.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 8.70%.The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Paul Roeder sold 3,596 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total transaction of $382,326.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 3,618 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.13, for a total transaction of $387,596.34. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 62,328 shares in the company, valued at $6,677,198.64. This trade represents a 5.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,452 shares of company stock valued at $1,532,157. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV boosted its position in Walt Disney by 4.6% during the first quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 2,266 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,192 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Guardian Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. now owns 32,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Convergence Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 3,211 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 32,101 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,090,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney appointed Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer. Reporting directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro, Anand will oversee technology and AI initiatives beginning October 2. The hire signals an effort to improve personalization, digital products, infrastructure and the use of AI across Disney’s businesses. Reuters article on Disney’s first chief technology officer
• Positive Sentiment: Adam Smith, previously a Disney streaming product and technology executive, was named chairman of Direct-to-Consumer. His mandate includes Disney+ and Hulu strategy, development and operations, potentially helping the company sharpen streaming execution and subscriber monetization. Disney announcement on Adam Smith
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst comparison highlighted Disney’s strength across parks, streaming and the box office, while another report said Disney’s profitable streaming business and content slate compare favorably with Netflix. These points support the longer-term growth narrative, although they are not new financial guidance. Motley Fool comparison of Comcast and Disney
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney Imagineering filed a new construction permit related to the Polynesian Island Tower. The project could support future parks and resorts revenue, but the filing provides no timing, cost or return details. Polynesian Island Tower construction permit report
• Negative Sentiment: An unusual aspect of the CTO appointment is that Character.AI previously received a Disney cease-and-desist letter over alleged use of Disney characters. While Anand’s AI expertise may be valuable, the history introduces intellectual-property and reputational questions for investors. TechCrunch report on Disney’s CTO appointment
• Negative Sentiment: The back-to-back leadership changes may create near-term uncertainty as Disney reorganizes streaming and technology responsibilities. Investors will likely look for evidence that the new structure improves subscriber growth, advertising and profitability rather than adding bureaucracy.
• Negative Sentiment: Disney is also contesting an FCC review of eight ABC station licenses, adding a regulatory and political overhang to the company’s traditional television operations. Reuters report on Disney’s FCC case

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment and media company that develops, produces and distributes content across film, television and streaming platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other brands, with content distributed through theatrical releases, television networks and direct-to-consumer services such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN’s streaming offerings.

Disney also operates sports media businesses, including ESPN, and owns and manages theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and other location-based entertainment experiences.