Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) had its target price cut by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $144.00 to $136.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the entertainment giant’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 28.57% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on DIS. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stephens restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.29.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $105.78. 12,998,156 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,457,498. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.08. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 12.22%.The firm had revenue of $22.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,625,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Walt Disney by 36.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 1,176,003 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $134,652,000 after acquiring an additional 312,727 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 7.3% during the third quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 14,107 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 64.1% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 15,302 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 5,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% in the third quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,808 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.