Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

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 - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $120.00 to $140.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the entertainment giant's stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $129.83.

Walt Disney Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $2.79 on Monday, hitting $112.38. The company had a trading volume of 7,152,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,834,514. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.02, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.56. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $80.10 and a 12-month high of $124.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $119.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.94.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.69 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. Walt Disney's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.39 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,767 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $498,000. Titleist Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 7,397 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $824,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 3,138 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,567 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently 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.