Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Down 0.7% – What’s Next?

Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) dropped 0.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $96.98 and last traded at $98.02. Approximately 2,360,407 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 8,789,101 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.33.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $177.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DIS. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 12,145 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 712 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 68.2% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 10,907 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 4,421 shares in the last quarter. Atom Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter worth $352,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 139,052.4% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 29,222 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,811,000 after buying an additional 29,201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $398,508,000 after buying an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.