Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Price Target Raised to $140.00

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) had its target price hoisted by equities researchers at Citigroup from $135.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the entertainment giant’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 26.60% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on DIS. Barclays raised their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. UBS Group set a $115.00 price objective on Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Walt Disney from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.33.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $110.59. The company had a trading volume of 8,610,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,159,198. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $92.18 and a 1 year high of $117.09. The company has a market capitalization of $190.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $106.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 6.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total transaction of $762,233.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 62,323 shares in the company, valued at $6,563,235.13. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Paul M. Roeder sold 3,596 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total value of $382,326.72. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,070 shares of company stock worth $1,913,168. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 316.4% in the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 279 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 82.2% during the 1st quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 317 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

More Walt Disney News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney agreed to acquire select Character.AI assets through bankruptcy proceedings, reportedly including a perpetual license to the startup’s intellectual property and technology. The deal could accelerate Disney’s development of conversational, interactive and personalized entertainment products. Walt Disney Lands $20 Million AI Asset Deal With Perpetual IP Rights
• Positive Sentiment: Disney is also expanding its AI talent base, with former Character.AI employees expected to join the company and former executive Karandeep Anand serving as Disney’s chief technology officer. The move may strengthen Disney’s technology capabilities across streaming, parks and consumer products. Disney Agreed to Pay $60 Million to 66 Employees From Character.AI
• Positive Sentiment: Disney’s ability to charge record prices for theme-park line-skipping services and its planned 2027 park and resort additions point to continued monetization opportunities in Experiences. A new creator partnership with Dude Perfect could also broaden Disney’s digital reach. Disney Pushes Line-Skipping Prices to Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent operating momentum remains a support: Disney’s latest quarterly earnings exceeded analyst expectations, with earnings per share of $2.06 versus an estimated $1.86, while revenue increased 6.8% year over year. However, revenue narrowly missed consensus, leaving investors focused on execution and the company’s full-year outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: The Character.AI transaction is attracting scrutiny because Disney may pay approximately $60 million to hire 66 employees shortly after technology layoffs, while separate reports value the acquired assets at about $20 million. The apparent expense and deal-structure uncertainty may be weighing on sentiment, despite the potential long-term AI benefits.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment company that develops, produces and distributes branded content across film, television, streaming and other media platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and 20th Century Studios, as well as ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN. The company also licenses its characters and intellectual property for consumer products, games and other experiences.

Disney operates theme parks, resorts and cruise lines through its Experiences business.