Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on DIS. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 31st. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $134.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.61.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $102.61 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $102.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.57. The stock has a market cap of $177.18 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.41. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $92.18 and a 1-year high of $117.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.39 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 EPS. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total value of $762,233.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 62,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,563,235.13. This represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Paul M. Roeder sold 3,596 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total transaction of $382,326.72. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 14,452 shares of company stock valued at $1,532,157 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Curio Wealth LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 110.4% in the 4th quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 223 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 316.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 279 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Walt Disney News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Disney appointed Karandeep Anand, the former CEO of Character.AI, as its first chief technology officer. Reporting directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro, Anand will oversee technology and AI initiatives beginning October 2. The hire signals an effort to improve personalization, digital products, infrastructure and the use of AI across Disney’s businesses. Reuters article on Disney’s first chief technology officer
• Positive Sentiment: Adam Smith, previously a Disney streaming product and technology executive, was named chairman of Direct-to-Consumer. His mandate includes Disney+ and Hulu strategy, development and operations, potentially helping the company sharpen streaming execution and subscriber monetization. Disney announcement on Adam Smith
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst comparison highlighted Disney’s strength across parks, streaming and the box office, while another report said Disney’s profitable streaming business and content slate compare favorably with Netflix. These points support the longer-term growth narrative, although they are not new financial guidance. Motley Fool comparison of Comcast and Disney
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney Imagineering filed a new construction permit related to the Polynesian Island Tower. The project could support future parks and resorts revenue, but the filing provides no timing, cost or return details. Polynesian Island Tower construction permit report
• Negative Sentiment: An unusual aspect of the CTO appointment is that Character.AI previously received a Disney cease-and-desist letter over alleged use of Disney characters. While Anand’s AI expertise may be valuable, the history introduces intellectual-property and reputational questions for investors. TechCrunch report on Disney’s CTO appointment
• Negative Sentiment: The back-to-back leadership changes may create near-term uncertainty as Disney reorganizes streaming and technology responsibilities. Investors will likely look for evidence that the new structure improves subscriber growth, advertising and profitability rather than adding bureaucracy.
• Negative Sentiment: Disney is also contesting an FCC review of eight ABC station licenses, adding a regulatory and political overhang to the company’s traditional television operations. Reuters report on Disney’s FCC case

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment and media company that develops, produces and distributes content across film, television and streaming platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other brands, with content distributed through theatrical releases, television networks and direct-to-consumer services such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN’s streaming offerings.

Disney also operates sports media businesses, including ESPN, and owns and manages theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and other location-based entertainment experiences.