Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $120.92 and last traded at $119.82, with a volume of 1371276 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $119.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.96.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $106.76 and a 200-day moving average of $105.92. The company has a market cap of $215.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. The business's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DIS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,415,427,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the first quarter valued at $1,353,607,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1,900.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 5,449,158 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 75.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 4,680,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $358,151,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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