The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Receives $123.54 Average Target Price from Analysts

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $123.54.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Prescient Securities reduced their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE DIS traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $105.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,435,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,005,668. The company has a market capitalization of $191.50 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $118.63. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $93.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $104.22.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $2,415,427,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1,900.0% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 5,735,961 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $638,699,000 after purchasing an additional 5,449,158 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,858,108 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,209,050,000 after purchasing an additional 4,680,930 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $358,151,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company's stock.

About Walt Disney

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.