Morgan Stanley Issues Positive Forecast for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) had its price objective increased by Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $130.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the entertainment giant’s stock.

DIS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Prescient Securities decreased their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Walt Disney Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $112.15 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.99. The stock has a market cap of $202.82 billion, a PE ratio of 41.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. Research analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,463,978,000 after buying an additional 490,681 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after buying an additional 1,393,082 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,137,637,000 after acquiring an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,904,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300,912 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.