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

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.67.

Several research firms recently issued reports on DIS. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock opened at $113.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $205.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.09.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Walt Disney’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $355,673,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 12,574.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $329,585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399,359 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 114.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.