Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Receives “Buy” Rating from Guggenheim

Guggenheim restated their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $140.00 target price on the entertainment giant’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on DIS. Stephens reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Walt Disney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.41.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.6%

DIS stock traded down $1.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $105.87. 16,637,361 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,475,586. The firm has a market cap of $190.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $80.10 and a 1-year high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.41.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.08. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business had revenue of $22.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 15.67%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Holt Capital Advisors L.L.C. dba Holt Capital Partners L.P. now owns 10,236 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,172,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 78.7% in the third quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 10,449,711 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,196,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,601,645 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 6.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 676,155 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $77,420,000 after purchasing an additional 41,224 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,343,443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $153,824,000 after purchasing an additional 444,937 shares during the period. Finally, Zacks Investment Management lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 6,349 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is 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.