The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $125.54.

DIS has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.5% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 18,869 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,809,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.9% in the third quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.3% during the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 35,048 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,371,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.9% during the third quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $579,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $109.63 on Friday. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend 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.