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

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and nineteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $135.20.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Walt Disney from $159.00 to $152.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 14th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Friday, November 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,220,599,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at $2,618,295,000. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at $725,219,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 231.4% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,711,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $539,450,000 after purchasing an additional 3,289,707 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 84.2% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,921,229 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $856,582,000 after purchasing an additional 3,162,938 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $111.35 on Thursday. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $198.79 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50 day moving average is $109.98 and its 200 day moving average is $113.73.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 EPS 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 business had revenue of $22.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 21.87%.

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi‑national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family‑oriented storytelling. Disney’s operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.