ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 18,974 Shares of The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its Walt Disney stake by 577.9% in the first quarter, buying 18,974 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 22,257 shares worth about $2.15 million.
• Disney has drawn several bullish signals recently, including a Zacks upgrade to Buy and positive commentary on strong free cash flow, improving streaming profitability, and potential upside from AI-driven efficiencies.
• Despite the favorable outlook, Disney stock was trading near $95.64, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, even as the company beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations and analysts maintained a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 577.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,257 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after purchasing an additional 18,974 shares during the period. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,342,154 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $18,128,357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,207 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 83,873,646 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $9,604,567,000 after buying an additional 1,853,897 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,588,604 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $4,597,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,888 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 9,060.1% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 38,135,363 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $4,338,660,000 after acquiring an additional 37,719,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,388,278,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Walt Disney News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Disney to a Buy, citing improving earnings expectations and a more favorable near-term outlook for the stock. Disney (DIS) Upgraded to Buy: Here's What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are reacting positively to reports that Disney+ may add a free, ad-supported tier, which could expand audience reach and improve Disney’s streaming monetization strategy over time. Disney is exploring adding a free tier for Disney+ as YouTube draws TV viewers
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish commentary highlighted strong free cash flow, improving direct-to-consumer profitability, and solid performance in sports and theme parks, while also pointing to possible upside from AI-driven efficiencies and rumored acquisition interest in Lionsgate. Disney: Lionsgate Rumors Add To An Already Compelling Bull Case
• Positive Sentiment: Another bullish valuation note argued Disney stock looks inexpensive on earnings and cash flow, with buybacks and earnings growth seen as supporting longer-term upside. Disney (DIS) Stock Looks Cheap On Earnings And Cash Flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney’s former Disney+ president Alisa Bowen is moving to CEO of Disney-controlled Fubo, a leadership change that may matter strategically but is not directly tied to Disney’s core operations. Alisa Bowen Exits as Disney+ President to Become CEO of Disney-Controlled Fubo TV Streamer
• Negative Sentiment: Several stories criticized Disney’s live-action remake strategy, especially around Moana, adding to concerns that the company’s film pipeline may be losing creative momentum. Moana's Record Rotten Tomatoes Score Should Give Disney Pause

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $95.64. 10,669,358 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,984,889. The stock has a market cap of $166.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $101.51 and a 200-day moving average of $104.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $92.18 and a 52 week high of $123.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.08. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.92% and a net margin of 11.54%.The firm had revenue of $25.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.640-6.640 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $126.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Citigroup increased their price target on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Walt Disney from $148.00 to $146.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.33.

About Walt Disney

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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