The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Receives $125.52 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $125.52.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 7,014 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at $509,000. RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 5,780 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Farmers National Bank boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 49,627 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $4,927,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at about $246,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:DIS traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $113.30. 6,211,630 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,327,196. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $205.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $112.43 and a 200 day moving average of $100.44. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

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.