Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Given Buy Rating at Needham & Company LLC

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $125.00 price objective on the entertainment giant’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective points to a potential upside of 14.41% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $128.06.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of DIS stock traded up $0.77 on Friday, hitting $109.26. The stock had a trading volume of 3,078,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,149,376. The business has a 50 day moving average of $105.56 and a 200 day moving average of $102.10. The stock has a market cap of $188.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $92.18 and a 12-month high of $117.09.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $25.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.39 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total value of $762,233.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 62,323 shares in the company, valued at $6,563,235.13. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Paul M. Roeder sold 3,596 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total transaction of $382,326.72. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 18,070 shares of company stock valued at $1,913,168 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% during the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 521,790 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $54,736,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 43.4% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 113,062 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $10,804,000 after purchasing an additional 34,219 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.3% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 24,510 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 201.9% during the third quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,938 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 72.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 31,125 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,265,000 after purchasing an additional 13,089 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walt Disney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings outlook: Erste Group Bank raised its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate for Disney to $7.50 from $7.49, above the current consensus estimate of $6.92. The small increase reinforces expectations for continued earnings growth, although it is unlikely to be a major standalone catalyst. Erste Group Bank raises Disney earnings estimate
• Positive Sentiment: Entry into AI entertainment: Character Technologies, the parent of Character.AI, filed for Chapter 11 and is pursuing a court-supervised asset sale. Disney has offered $20 million as a stalking-horse bidder for certain intellectual property, technology-related assets and transition services. The transaction could give Disney additional AI and interactive-entertainment capabilities at a relatively limited cost. Character.AI bankruptcy and Disney bid
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital-light Abu Dhabi expansion: Disney is partnering with Miral Asset Management on a Yas Island resort that Miral is expected to fund and operate while Disney supplies branding and creative direction. The structure could expand Disney’s experiences business without heavy direct capital spending, though the location adds geopolitical and security risks. Disney Abu Dhabi resort analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming financial update: Disney will report fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 results before the market opens on November 17, with management scheduled to discuss the results at 8:30 a.m. ET. Investors will likely focus on streaming profitability, parks demand, cash flow and forward guidance. Disney fiscal 2026 earnings webcast announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Gaming project delayed: Epic Games has reportedly delayed its Disney collaboration and shifted the development team toward an AI-first production model. The delay may postpone licensing and engagement benefits, while the change in development strategy introduces execution and quality risks. Epic Games delays Disney title

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment company that develops, produces and distributes branded content across film, television, streaming and other media platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and 20th Century Studios, as well as ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN. The company also licenses its characters and intellectual property for consumer products, games and other experiences.

Disney operates theme parks, resorts and cruise lines through its Experiences business.