Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $98.79 and traded as high as $111.54. Walt Disney shares last traded at $110.80, with a volume of 5,709,454 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DIS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.58.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $201.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.09, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $108.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at $70,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,597,000. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 0.3% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 78,401 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,542,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 80,278 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,722,000 after acquiring an additional 11,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.