Guggenheim Reiterates Buy Rating for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Guggenheim in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $140.00 target price on the entertainment giant’s stock. Guggenheim’s price target points to a potential upside of 35.36% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $151.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $136.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $123.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.50.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $1.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $103.43. 9,072,506 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,305,915. The company has a market cap of $184.65 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.00. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.06. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.37% and a net margin of 13.14%.The firm had revenue of $25.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cabot Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Cabot Wealth Management Inc. now owns 101,857 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $11,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,655 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 129,505 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $14,734,000 after buying an additional 20,019 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 139.6% in the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 42,204 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,802,000 after acquiring an additional 24,588 shares during the last quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 39,809 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,529,000 after acquiring an additional 637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Indivisible Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $874,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney named Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO (effective mid?March), ending a three?year succession search and removing a key source of uncertainty for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus: $1.63 EPS vs. $1.57 estimate and roughly $26.0B revenue — parks (record Experiences revenue) and a rebound in streaming profit drove the beat, supporting the turnaround thesis. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts show continued conviction: Morgan Stanley started coverage with an overweight and $135 PT, Needham reaffirmed buy ($125 PT) and Wells Fargo remains overweight despite a small PT tweak — indicating visible upside in some models. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Chairman James Gorman and Bob Iger framed D’Amaro as the result of a competitive process (100+ candidates), which adds credibility to the board decision but leaves execution risk around streaming and international recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance and margin pressure weighed on sentiment — Disney gave only modest operating?income growth expectations for the next quarter, citing international visitation headwinds, higher costs and pre?opening / cruise expenses. That weaker outlook triggered the post?earnings slide. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Carriage dispute impact and cash concerns: Disney disclosed a ~$110M hit from the YouTube TV blackout and noted higher CapEx and growth investments that pressured operating income and free cash flow — key risk items for near?term valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Incoming CEO compensation disclosed is large (reported ~$38M package with significant long?term equity), which may draw investor scrutiny over pay and near?term dilution/expense. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets or left cautious notes after the quarter (Jefferies, others), reflecting lingering skepticism about sustained free cash flow and entertainment margins despite the operational progress. Read More.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi?national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family?oriented storytelling. Disney’s operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.