Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 1.9% After Analyst Upgrade

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s share price was up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Monday after Loop Capital raised their price target on the stock from $113.00 to $140.00. Loop Capital currently has a buy rating on the stock. Walt Disney traded as high as $115.98 and last traded at $115.81. Approximately 4,914,088 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 11,436,513 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.66.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on DIS. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays upgraded Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.17.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DIS. Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 0.5% in the first quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,199,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.5% in the first quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,894 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $721,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Sendero Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,649 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,993 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.5% during the first quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,801 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.05. The company has a market capitalization of $213.64 billion, a PE ratio of 71.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.52%.

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.