Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Rating Reiterated by 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 Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $145.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on DIS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Tigress Financial reissued a buy rating and set a $136.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $127.17.

Walt Disney Stock Down 9.5 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $105.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $114.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.21. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $78.73 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $193.34 billion, a PE ratio of 65.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 4.2% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 137,653 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $16,843,000 after acquiring an additional 5,561 shares in the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Delta Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.2% during the first quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,786 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,809,000 after buying an additional 1,367 shares in the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.8% in the first quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,789 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,033,000 after buying an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Square LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 34.8% in the first quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 3,312 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 855 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 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.