Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Upgraded to Buy at Redburn Atlantic

Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $147.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock, up from their prior price target of $100.00.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on DIS. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $111.39 on Tuesday. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $201.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $110.29 and a 200-day moving average of $99.28.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the third quarter worth approximately $51,000. Birch Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. 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.