Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 220,128 Shares of The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,735,048 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 220,128 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $197,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,388,278,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at $725,219,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 82,019,749 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $9,391,261,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,706 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,522,860 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $969,646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924,200 shares during the period. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $174,275,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DIS. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Walt Disney from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $148.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.71.

Walt Disney News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company reaffirmed its Buy rating on Disney and set a $125 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels and reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock. Benzinga report on Needham rating reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Disney, signaling improving profit expectations and suggesting analysts see stronger fundamentals ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Disney upgraded the My Disney Experience app to make vacation planning easier, a small but constructive sign that the company is improving the guest experience and supporting its parks business. AOL article on My Disney Experience app upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Several entertainment articles about Kevin Costner meeting Walt Disney, and other Disney-related lifestyle/travel pieces, are mostly brand awareness items and are unlikely to materially affect the stock price. Yahoo Entertainment article on Kevin Costner story
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary also noted Disney’s share price weakness and valuation debate, but that appears more reflective of the broader pullback than a new company-specific catalyst. Yahoo Finance article on DIS share price weakness

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $99.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $173.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.39. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $92.18 and a 12 month high of $124.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $102.28 and its 200 day moving average is $105.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $25.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.87 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 8.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.640-6.640 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 6.85 EPS for the current year.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi?national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family?oriented storytelling. Disney’s operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.