Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.32 EPS

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32, Zacks reports. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock traded down $1.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.82. The stock had a trading volume of 10,051,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,775,234. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $100.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DIS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % 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 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.