Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $112.80, but opened at $104.01. Walt Disney shares last traded at $106.34, with a volume of 14,138,087 shares.

More Walt Disney News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board names Josh D’Amaro as CEO (effective March 18) with Dana Walden as President & Chief Creative Officer — removes long?running succession uncertainty, a near?term governance positive that helped calm investors. Josh D’Amaro named as next CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Sell?side support continues — some firms (Needham, Guggenheim, Morgan Stanley coverage noted) have reiterated buy/overweight views and price targets well above current levels, giving investors conviction that upside exists if execution improves. Needham reiterates Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Company leadership held staff town halls and messaging emphasizes continuity, creativity and planned use of AI — useful for culture/retention but not an immediate revenue catalyst. Bob Iger, Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden Talk Succession
• Neutral Sentiment: New theme?park policies and ride changes were announced — operationally relevant for guest experience and costs, but impact on near?term revenues is unclear. Disney Just Made Big News With New Theme Park Policies
• Neutral Sentiment: ETFs and passive holders with heavy Disney exposure are in focus around Q1 earnings + leadership change — could amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental change. Disney?Heavy ETFs to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Parks face measurable headwinds from fewer international visitors to U.S. parks (tourism softness), which pressures attendance and margins in the Experiences segment. Disney’s U.S. Theme Parks See Fewer Foreign Visitors
• Negative Sentiment: Investors reacted to tepid forward guidance and margin pressure in the recent quarter — weak near?term outlook drove a post?earnings slide and keeps sentiment cautious despite the beat. Theme parks hit as international tourists skip the U.S.
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and activists (e.g., Nelson Peltz) question the succession process and raise governance concerns; plus market skepticism about D’Amaro’s limited streaming/media background — both factors heighten execution risk for Disney’s content/streaming transition. Peltz accuses Iger of rigging succession What D’Amaro pick tells us about media future

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Friday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $151.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday. Finally, Phillip Securities raised Walt Disney to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.80.

Walt Disney Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $189.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.88.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.06. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The company had revenue of $25.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 21.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,618,295,000. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter worth about $725,219,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 231.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,711,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $539,450,000 after purchasing an additional 3,289,707 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 84.2% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,921,229 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $856,582,000 after buying an additional 3,162,938 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 11,943.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,827,112 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $350,590,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803,638 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.