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

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nineteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.52.

DIS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC increased 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $113.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.33. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The firm has a market cap of $204.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last quarter. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.