Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Receives Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities

Rosenblatt Securities reiterated their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research report report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $135.00 target price on the entertainment giant’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Prescient Securities lowered their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE DIS opened at $109.23 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.58, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 8.4% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,420,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $15,687,000 after purchasing an additional 13,339 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 476.0% in the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 10,230 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $15,125,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.