Walt Disney’s (DIS) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $145.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 37.99% from the stock’s current price.

DIS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.17.

Walt Disney Stock Down 9.8 %

Shares of DIS traded down $11.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $105.08. 43,409,296 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,923,704. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.67 and its 200-day moving average is $101.05. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% in the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.