Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Walt Disney stock from $120 to $140, signaling an anticipated 17.76% upside from its previous close, while maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• Other brokerages, such as Citigroup and Barclays, have also increased their price targets for Disney, indicating a general consensus of a Moderate Buy rating among analysts.
• Walt Disney's recent earnings report exceeded expectations with $1.45 EPS and a revenue of $23.62 billion, reflecting a 7.0% increase compared to the same quarter last year.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $140.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the entertainment giant's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price points to a potential upside of 17.76% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on DIS. Wolfe Research raised shares of 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. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $129.83.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock traded up $2.30 on Monday, reaching $118.89. The stock had a trading volume of 2,542,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,688,975. The stock has a market cap of $213.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.56. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69. The business's 50-day moving average price is $118.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 82.5% in the 2nd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 208 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Kessler Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 274.0% in the 1st quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 273 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently 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.

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