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

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32, Zacks reports. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $1.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $111.82. The company had a trading volume of 10,051,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,775,234. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.26 and its 200-day moving average is $100.89. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.26, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.65.

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.