Aviva PLC Raises Holdings in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Aviva PLC increased its stake in Disney by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 78,914 shares and bringing its total holding to 1,516,177 shares worth about $172.5 million.
• Institutional interest in Disney remains strong, with several large investors also boosting positions and hedge funds/other institutions owning about 65.71% of the stock.
• Analysts are generally bullish on Disney, with recent price target hikes from firms like Citigroup, JPMorgan, Guggenheim, and Rosenblatt; the stock currently carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $133.71 average target.

Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,516,177 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 78,914 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.09% of Walt Disney worth $172,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Walt Disney by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 284,894 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $32,620,000 after purchasing an additional 23,100 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,522,860 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $969,646,000 after purchasing an additional 1,924,200 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 158,121,947 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $18,104,963,000 after purchasing an additional 620,463 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Walt Disney by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 96,476 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $10,976,000 after purchasing an additional 15,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 226,240 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $25,904,000 after purchasing an additional 75,791 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Walt Disney

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings-per-share estimates for Disney, signaling improved profit expectations and reinforcing the view that earnings may continue to trend higher. Disney analyst estimate raise
• Positive Sentiment: Another recent note highlighted Disney as a potential deep-value opportunity, with Guggenheim reiterating a Buy rating and lifting its price target to $120, which can help investor confidence in the stock. Disney deep value article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several stories focused on Disney parks and branded content, including Walt Disney World travel pieces, a behind-the-scenes Imagineering feature, and an upcoming streaming release of Avatar: Fire and Ash; these reinforce brand strength but are not clear near-term stock catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor commentary on recent share-price weakness suggests some market participants remain cautious, citing broader headwinds despite Disney’s attractive valuation and improving fundamentals. Disney share price weakness article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $138.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $121.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.71.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $100.38 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $102.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.26. The stock has a market cap of $174.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.39. 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 one year low of $92.18 and a one year high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $25.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.87 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.92% and a net margin of 11.54%.Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. 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 6.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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