Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $140.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the entertainment giant’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 17.97% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Walt Disney from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $112.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walt Disney from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $129.83.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock opened at $118.67 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $80.10 and a 12-month high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in Walt Disney by 82.5% in the 2nd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 208 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Kessler Investment Group LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 274.0% during the first quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 273 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.