Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $145.00 price objective on the entertainment giant's stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on DIS. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $113.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $127.17.

Walt Disney Stock Down 9.5 %

Shares of DIS traded down $11.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $105.40. 55,026,769 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,064,021. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company's 50 day moving average is $114.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.05. The company has a market capitalization of $193.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.66, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mcdonald Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% in the first quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,199,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.5% during the first quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,894 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $721,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,649 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $569,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.0% during the first quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,993 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,100,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 3.5% during the first quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,801 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.