Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Now Covered by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a report issued on Tuesday. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $135.00 price objective on the entertainment giant’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on DIS. Citigroup dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, October 17th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $159.00 to $152.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.80.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.2%

Walt Disney stock opened at $104.25 on Tuesday. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $186.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $110.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $112.88.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.06. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The business had revenue of $25.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 48.5% in the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 291 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Walt Disney News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on revenue and EPS, driven by strong parks results and improving streaming profitability — evidence the Iger-era turnaround is making progress. Disney theme parks help boost earnings above Wall Street forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Box‑office successes (notably Zootopia 2 and Avatar sequel) gave Entertainment a lift, supporting near‑term revenue and the theatrical pipeline. Disney’s first quarter is powered by box-office hits
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain mixed but several firms reaffirm bullish ratings/targets (buy/overweight calls with PTs well above current levels), which could provide upside if execution continues. Disney’s Q1 2026 Missed Hype, But the Turnaround Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Board announced Josh D’Amaro will become CEO (effective March 18) with Dana Walden in a creative leadership role — a clean end to the succession saga but outcomes depend on execution and creative leadership under a parks‑centric CEO. Disney names parks boss Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated full‑year targets and emphasized back‑half strength, but the timing of benefits (and capital investments like new cruises/attractions) keeps investors focused on execution. The Walt Disney Company Reports First Quarter Earnings for Fiscal 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued softer FY2/Q2 guidance: international tourism weakness at U.S. parks and higher pre‑opening/prelaunch costs shocked the market and triggered a sharp share pullback. Disney shares slide on weak outlook despite Q1 earnings beat
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and free‑cash‑flow remain a concern (operating income down, disclosed $110M hit from a YouTube TV blackout), leaving investors skeptical despite the top‑line beat. Disney said it took a $110 million hit from YouTube TV
• Negative Sentiment: Activist and media criticism (Nelson Peltz questioning the succession process) adds governance risk and investor uncertainty around the new CEO’s mandate. Nelson Peltz Takes a Shot at Bob Iger Over Disney’s CEO Transition

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.