The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.08.

Several research analysts have commented on DIS shares. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trian Fund Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,663,976,000 after buying an additional 26,443,257 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,938,647,000. ValueAct Holdings L.P. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $459,245,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $326,171,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Walt Disney by 8,681.3% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,349,709 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $302,445,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311,563 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock opened at $112.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $114.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.17, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $78.73 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 55.56%.

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.