Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 2.4% – Should You Buy?

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, November 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walt Disney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.41.

Walt Disney Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $109.24 and a 200 day moving average of $114.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

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

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,220,599,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter worth $2,618,295,000. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter worth $725,219,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 231.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,711,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $539,450,000 after acquiring an additional 3,289,707 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its position in Walt Disney by 84.2% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.