Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Barclays from $120.00 to $140.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the entertainment giant's stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on DIS. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on Walt Disney from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Wolfe Research upgraded Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, 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, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.35.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:DIS traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $120.75. 6,711,795 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,016,224. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $113.14 and a 200 day moving average of $106.49. The stock has a market cap of $217.08 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,190,748.04. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,767 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,980,000 after acquiring an additional 1,904 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,815 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,872,000 after acquiring an additional 2,016 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natural Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $454,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.