Erste Group Bank Weighs in on Walt Disney FY2027 Earnings

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2027 earnings estimates for Walt Disney in a report issued on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the entertainment giant will earn $7.49 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $7.48. The consensus estimate for Walt Disney’s current full-year earnings is $6.91 per share.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $25.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.39 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also commented on DIS. Barclays lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.61.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $103.86 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.41. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $92.18 and a 1-year high of $117.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $103.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.58.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 83,873,646 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $9,604,567,000 after buying an additional 1,853,897 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,588,604 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,597,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,361,888 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 9,060.1% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 38,135,363 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,338,660,000 after acquiring an additional 37,719,041 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,388,278,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 16.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,106,105 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,718,622,000 after acquiring an additional 2,111,189 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 3,618 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.13, for a total value of $387,596.34. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 62,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,677,198.64. This represents a 5.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Paul M. Roeder sold 3,596 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total transaction of $382,326.72. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,452 shares of company stock valued at $1,532,157. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walt Disney

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney continues to receive favorable analyst support: brokerages assign the stock an average “Moderate Buy” rating, and Erste Group expects stronger earnings. This reinforces the potential for earnings-driven upside despite recent underperformance. Disney receives Moderate Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Disney appears to be outperforming some theme-park rivals, with $59 ticket promotions helping attract visitors while Universal and SeaWorld report weaker attendance. Stronger parks demand could support revenue and cash flow. Disney theme-park attendance
• Positive Sentiment: The company is adding a chief technology officer role focused on enterprise technology and artificial-intelligence platforms. The appointment of former Character.ai CEO Karandeep Anand signals an effort to improve technology capabilities and create longer-term efficiencies. Disney appoints chief technology officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney is described as relatively inexpensive, and a bullish analysis highlights its lower valuation as a reason to consider the stock. The argument is supportive, but it may not generate immediate buying without stronger catalysts. Reasons to buy Disney stock
• Neutral Sentiment: New attractions and multi-year construction projects at Walt Disney World, along with ESPN’s plans to maximize the 2027 Super Bowl, provide potential future growth but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: A market analysis warns that DIS could underperform the S&P 500 for another year because no major near-term event is expected to trigger a re-rating. This is likely the clearest reason for current investor caution. Disney underperformance outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Disney may cut staff again before October could raise concerns about operating disruption and workforce morale, although the company has not publicly confirmed the reductions. Reported Disney staff cuts

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment and media company that develops, produces and distributes content across film, television and streaming platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other brands, with content distributed through theatrical releases, television networks and direct-to-consumer services such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN’s streaming offerings.

Disney also operates sports media businesses, including ESPN, and owns and manages theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and other location-based entertainment experiences.