Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Research Coverage Started at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a report published on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $135.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on DIS. Citigroup lowered their target price on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $144.00 to $136.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.80.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $105.09 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $112.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $186.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.43. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $80.10 and a 12 month high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $25.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.54 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 12.80%.The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 48.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 291 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walt Disney

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Solid operating results: Q1 revenue rose ~5% to about $26B, with theme parks revenue topping $10B for the first time — evidence that parks and streaming momentum are intact. Disney Stock Crashes 5% — Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support: Guggenheim reaffirmed a “Buy” rating, signaling some sell‑side confidence in Disney’s medium‑term outlook. Guggenheim Reaffirms Buy for Walt Disney
• Positive Sentiment: Other buy-side support: Needham reiterated a Buy rating, adding that parts of the business (notably parks) are performing well. Needham Reiterates Buy for Walt Disney
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO succession announced: Josh D’Amaro (parks chief) will succeed Bob Iger, removing immediate uncertainty about leadership and creating clarity on direction. Investors are parsing what a parks‑focused CEO means for media/streaming strategy. Disney parks chief Josh D’Amaro will take over for Bob Iger
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage changes: Morgan Stanley initiated coverage (new attention from a major house), which may add trading interest but not an immediate directional signal. Walt Disney Coverage Initiated at Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to leadership news: despite good top‑line growth, headlines about Bob Iger stepping down and the CEO handoff triggered a sharp intraday selloff and heightened volatility. Disney Shares Sink Despite Solid Revenue Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downside pressure: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target to $150, signaling more conservative expectations from a major shop. Wells Fargo Lowers Disney Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Pessimistic outlooks from some firms: Jefferies issued a cautious/pessimistic forecast, adding to near‑term headwinds. Jefferies Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Disney
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed sell‑side stance: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Hold, reflecting uncertainty among analysts about valuation upside absent clearer media/streaming visibility. TD Cowen Reaffirms Hold for Disney

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi‑national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family‑oriented storytelling. Disney’s operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.