Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.32 EPS

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

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS traded down $1.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $112.15. 10,655,747 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,775,234. 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 market capitalization of $202.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $112.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.89.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade 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. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.65.

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.