Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 0.9% Following Analyst Upgrade

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) shot up 0.9% during trading on Thursday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $120.00 to $140.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Walt Disney traded as high as $123.74 and last traded at $122.08. 4,764,648 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 12,393,692 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.98.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.64.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $80,918.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,861 shares in the company, valued at $167,694.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $5,921,000. Fairman Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. Napatree Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $495,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Cape ANN Savings Bank raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Cape ANN Savings Bank now owns 7,524 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $723,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Up 1.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $225.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $106.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

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.