Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Issues Earnings Results

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32, Zacks reports. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS traded down $1.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $112.15. 10,655,747 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,775,234. The stock has a market cap of $202.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.16% 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.