Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 2.4% – What’s Next?

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) shares rose 2.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $111.56 and last traded at $111.49. Approximately 13,040,524 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 36% from the average daily volume of 9,607,598 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.83.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $141.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Walt Disney to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.41.

Walt Disney Stock Up 2.4%

The company has a market cap of $199.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $109.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.08. Walt Disney had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 9.37%. The firm had revenue of $22.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.78 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 14.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DIS. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 82.5% in the second quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 208 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. 65.71% of the stock is 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.