Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Receives Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reissued their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a $125.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on DIS. Citigroup decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $151.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $144.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, October 17th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.00.

Walt Disney Stock Down 7.2%

DIS stock opened at $104.68 on Monday. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $80.10 and a 12 month high of $124.69. The firm has a market cap of $186.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.54 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 9.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 21.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 3,083 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,998,811 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $227,405,000 after acquiring an additional 47,642 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Walt Disney by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 155,280 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $17,666,000 after purchasing an additional 3,757 shares during the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in Walt Disney by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 290,594 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $33,061,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 11,455 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,303,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — DIS reported $1.63 adj. EPS vs. $1.57 expected and revenue ~ $26B, showing sequential and year‑over‑year growth across segments. Disney Earnings Call: Streaming Turnaround, Parks Hit Record
• Positive Sentiment: Streaming profitability improved significantly (record streaming profit driven partly by price increases), supporting long‑term margin recovery. Disney reeled in record streaming profits, boosted by price hikes
• Positive Sentiment: Parks & Experiences posted record revenue and generated the lion’s share of operating income, providing strong cash flow and supporting buybacks/dividend capacity. Disney supercharged its parks. The booming division still has room to run
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated capital returns: accelerating buybacks (target ~ $7B for 2026) and a modest dividend — supportive of shareholder value over time. Disney’s Q1 2026 Missed Hype, But the Turnaround Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO succession headlines: multiple outlets report Josh D’Amaro is the likely successor to Bob Iger — a governance event that creates transition risk but could preserve operational continuity given D’Amaro’s parks track record. Disney board close to picking parks chief D’Amaro next CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term outlook disappointed: management guided to only modest operating income growth in Experiences for Q2 and flagged international tourism headwinds and higher sports rights costs — investors penalized the cautious guidance. Disney shares slide on weak outlook despite Q1 earnings beat
• Negative Sentiment: One‑time hit from a carriage dispute: Disney disclosed a ~$110M operating‑income hit from the YouTube TV blackout, which dented sports profitability for the quarter. Disney said it took a $110 million hit from YouTube TV
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and investments: higher operating costs, pre‑opening and cruise launch expenses, and increased CapEx reduced short‑term earnings quality even as they aim to drive future growth. Disney’s Q1 2026 Missed Hype, But the Turnaround Builds

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.