Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Raised to Overweight at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $135.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock, up from their prior price target of $95.00.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on DIS. Rosenblatt Securities dropped their price target on Walt Disney from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Macquarie increased their price target on Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded Walt Disney from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $116.64.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $120.98 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $106.66 and a 200 day moving average of $94.34. The company has a market cap of $221.91 billion, a PE ratio of 74.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $78.73 and a 12-month high of $122.03.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.62 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 898 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $80,918.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,694.71. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Trian Fund Management L.P. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 411.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,663,976,000 after acquiring an additional 26,443,257 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 109,924.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after acquiring an additional 23,644,765 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $1,938,647,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 46,172,567 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,011,473,000 after acquiring an additional 5,499,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ValueAct Holdings L.P. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $459,245,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.