Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Given “Buy” Rating at Citigroup

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by research analysts at Citigroup in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $125.00 price objective on the entertainment giant’s stock. Citigroup’s target price suggests a potential upside of 14.97% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on DIS. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $108.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.76. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $196.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its position in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.