Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $144.00 target price on the entertainment giant’s stock, up from their previous target price of $100.00.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on DIS. Barclays increased their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.83.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $122.98 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.15, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.56. The business has a 50-day moving average of $110.52 and a 200-day moving average of $106.21. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $80.10 and a 1 year high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The company had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. GPM Growth Investors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 2,342 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 3,138 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 22,658 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,523,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC now owns 3,826 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 16,509 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,629,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.