Needham & Company LLC Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 47.04% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Macquarie lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $104.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.44.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of DIS opened at $98.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.77 billion, a PE ratio of 107.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s fifty day moving average is $103.86 and its 200 day moving average is $104.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.75. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $78.73 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a net margin of 1.90% and a return on equity of 8.37%. The firm had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DIS. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 355.3% in the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.