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

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eighteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.58.

DIS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $111.16 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $109.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.18. The company has a market capitalization of $201.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.02, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,420,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 476.0% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth about $14,079,000. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 147,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $14,174,000 after purchasing an additional 23,116 shares during the last quarter. 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.