Erste Group Bank Raises Earnings Estimates for Walt Disney

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for Walt Disney to $7.44 from $7.32, signaling improved expectations for future earnings. That forecast is also above the current consensus estimate of $6.82 per share.
• Disney’s latest quarterly results were strong, with EPS of $1.57 beating estimates and revenue of $25.17 billion topping expectations. Revenue rose 6.5% year over year, and the company reiterated FY2026 guidance at $6.64 EPS.
• Wall Street remains broadly constructive on Disney, with multiple firms lifting targets or ratings and a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”. The average price target now stands at $134.47.

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Walt Disney in a research report issued on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the entertainment giant will post earnings per share of $7.44 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $7.32. The consensus estimate for Walt Disney's current full-year earnings is $6.82 per share.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.08. Walt Disney had a net margin of 11.54% and a return on equity of 8.92%. The firm had revenue of $25.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.87 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.640-6.640 EPS.

DIS has been the topic of several other reports. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "moderate buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $151.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and set a $123.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.47.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $102.71 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $178.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.41. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $92.18 and a 1-year high of $124.69. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $100.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,861,360 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $275,778,000 after buying an additional 15,800 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 25.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 756,327 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $72,895,000 after buying an additional 153,661 shares in the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 1st quarter worth about $1,428,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 253.3% in the 1st quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,839 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,141,000 after buying an additional 8,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 1st quarter worth about $694,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walt Disney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Disney World appears to be operating at capacity, suggesting strong demand for the parks business; Disney’s CFO also addressed what comes next, reinforcing confidence in attendance and pricing power. Walt Disney World Is At Capacity. Disney's CFO Just Explained What Happens Next
• Positive Sentiment: Disney announced discounted Florida-resident summer tickets, which could help keep park traffic high and support near-term revenue even if it pressures per-guest pricing somewhat. Disney World: Florida-resident tickets as low as $65 per day this summer
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price target after Disney’s strong Q2 report, reflecting confidence in the company’s earnings momentum and outlook. The Walt Disney Company (DIS) Price Target Raised Following Strong Q2 Report
• Positive Sentiment: Disney CFO commentary about a potential “super app” combining parks, cruises, shopping, and streaming points to a longer-term strategy that could improve customer retention and cross-selling. Disney CFO Teases Potential ‘Super App’ Combining Parks, Cruise, Shopping, and Streaming
• Positive Sentiment: Reuters reported that Disney’s India joint venture, JioStar, is taking legal action against Zee Entertainment over alleged unauthorized film broadcasts, which may help protect valuable content rights in a major market. Exclusive: Reliance-Disney launch legal battle against Indian TV rival over Bollywood films
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney executives, including Dana Walden and Josh D’Amaro, made upbeat public remarks about the company’s future, but these comments are largely sentiment-driven rather than new financial catalysts. Dana Walden talks future of Disney
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles covered Disney-related consumer interest and park culture, but they are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. 49 Sweet Photos of Celebrities Visiting Disney Parks
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of Disney’s Kansas City childhood home being overrun by encampments is a reputationally negative headline, though it is not likely to have a direct business impact. Tourists horrified as Walt Disney's storybook childhood home is overrun by vagrants and crack dens

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company NYSE: DIS, commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi‑national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family‑oriented storytelling. Disney's operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.

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