Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Lifted to Strong-Buy at Seaport Res Ptn

Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Monday, Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Walt Disney’s Q4 2024 earnings at $1.14 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $4.96 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $1.37 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.16 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.36 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.18 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.41 EPS.

DIS has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. They set a buy rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $105.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Macquarie reduced their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Four 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $118.43.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS stock opened at $94.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.93. The company has a market capitalization of $171.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 102.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.19. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm had revenue of $23.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, Director Calvin Mcdonald bought 11,756 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $85.06 per share, with a total value of $999,965.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,897,943.78. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 7,420 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $670,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Tairen Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,944,000. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Amussen Hunsaker Associates LLC now owns 98,748 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $8,916,000 after purchasing an additional 10,513 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 175.4% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 283,222 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $25,572,000 after purchasing an additional 180,367 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 206,644 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $18,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.