The Goldman Sachs Group Initiates Coverage on Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Investment analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 22.33% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on DIS. Macquarie upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $104.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.50.

Walt Disney Trading Down 0.0 %

DIS stock opened at $102.18 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 0.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $186.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 111.07, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $105.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.55.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 1.90%. The company had revenue of $22.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director James P. Gorman acquired 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares in the company, valued at $2,170,116.01. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.