The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Receives $125.52 Average Target Price from Brokerages

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $125.65.

A number of research firms recently commented on DIS. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 13.1% during the second quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 7,014 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at $509,000. RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 3.9% in the second quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 5,780 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Farmers National Bank boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 4.6% during the second quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 49,627 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,927,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at $246,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS stock opened at $110.41 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $112.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.89. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.67 billion, a PE ratio of 40.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.