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

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nineteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.52.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DIS shares. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $113.08 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.33. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 36.90%.

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.