Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Announces Earnings Results

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32, Zacks reports. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $111.87. 656,407 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,232,343. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month 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 capitalization of $202.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $112.00 and a 200 day moving average of $101.07.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last 90 days. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on DIS. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.85.

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.