Needham & Company LLC Reiterates “Buy” Rating for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 target price on the entertainment giant’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target suggests a potential upside of 37.49% from the stock’s current price.

DIS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Argus boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays raised Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.46.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $105.46 on Tuesday. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.10, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $114.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.21.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Red Tortoise LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 141.4% in the 1st quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 367 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.