Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Upgraded to Overweight by Barclays

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

DIS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Rosenblatt Securities decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Macquarie lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded Walt Disney from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a buy rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $117.77.

Walt Disney Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $122.36 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $107.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $224.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.61, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.41. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $78.73 and a 1-year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 898 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,694.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.