Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Trading 1.1% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s stock price was up 1.1% on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $128.00 to $141.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walt Disney traded as high as $113.49 and last traded at $113.23. Approximately 1,423,950 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 11,904,283 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.99.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 225.1% during the third quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614 shares during the period. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,922 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 19,131 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 85.0% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,752 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 6,317 shares during the period. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 52,672 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,269,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $114.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.27. The firm has a market cap of $208.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.19, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

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.