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

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.08.

DIS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

Walt Disney Trading Down 0.6 %

DIS opened at $112.06 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.06. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The firm has a market cap of $205.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,443,502 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $13,673,834,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555,748 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,318,444 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,592,010,000 after acquiring an additional 195,512 shares during the last quarter. 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 worth $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,859,476 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,014,861,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384,407 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $1,938,647,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.