Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) announced its quarterly 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

NYSE DIS traded down $1.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $109.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,839,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,123,843. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $112.11 and a 200 day moving average of $100.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.51 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. Walt Disney has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DIS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler began coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price 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. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

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.