Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Receives Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reissued their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $130.00 price objective on the entertainment giant’s stock.

DIS has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.65.

Walt Disney Stock Down 2.6 %

DIS opened at $110.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $112.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.99. Walt Disney has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. Equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DJE Kapital AG acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $61,799,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 53,263 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $5,952,000 after acquiring an additional 4,972 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $4,920,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Walt Disney by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 312,677 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $34,817,000 after purchasing an additional 52,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 106,274 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $11,834,000 after buying an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.