The Walt Disney Company (DIS) – What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $128.33.

DIS has been the subject of several research reports. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wolfe Research set a $131.00 price target on Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of Walt Disney 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 62,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,563,235.13. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Paul M. Roeder sold 3,596 shares of the business’s 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 18,070 shares of company stock worth $1,913,168 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV lifted its position in Walt Disney by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 2,266 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,192 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. now owns 32,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 32,101 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,090,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bannerman Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bannerman Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Walt Disney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $140 and upgraded Disney to “Buy,” implying 26.6% potential upside. The call provides a positive signal for DIS and reflects increased confidence in the company’s earnings outlook. Benzinga analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Disney is acquiring selected Character.AI assets and securing perpetual rights to related intellectual property for about $20 million through bankruptcy proceedings. The transaction could accelerate Disney’s development of conversational, interactive and personalized entertainment products. Former Character.AI personnel, including new Disney Chief Technology Officer Karandeep Anand, are expected to strengthen the company’s internal AI capabilities. Disney Character.AI asset deal
• Positive Sentiment: Disney signed a major creator agreement with Dude Perfect, potentially expanding its content pipeline, audience reach and digital engagement. Disney Dude Perfect deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney’s theme-park business continues to show pricing power, with line-skipping prices reportedly reaching record levels ahead of the holidays. That could support revenue per guest, although higher prices may affect customer satisfaction and attendance. Disney line-skipping prices
• Negative Sentiment: Disney reportedly plans to pay $60 million to hire 66 former Character.AI employees after the startup’s bankruptcy. While the hires may advance Disney’s AI ambitions, the sizable compensation package raises questions about costs, integration and the near-term financial return from the initiative. Disney Character.AI employee hiring

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE DIS traded down $0.09 on Friday, hitting $110.59. 8,637,607 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,119,137. The company has a market cap of $190.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.41. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $92.18 and a 12 month high of $117.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $106.14 and a 200-day moving average of $102.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 6.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment company that develops, produces and distributes branded content across film, television, streaming and other media platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and 20th Century Studios, as well as ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN. The company also licenses its characters and intellectual property for consumer products, games and other experiences.

Disney operates theme parks, resorts and cruise lines through its Experiences business.