Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 1.1% After Analyst Upgrade

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $128.00 to $141.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walt Disney traded as high as $113.49 and last traded at $113.23. 1,423,950 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 11,904,283 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.99.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.08.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $208.25 billion, a PE ratio of 69.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $114.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.05. 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 (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. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. This represents a yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.