Needham & Company LLC Reaffirms Buy Rating for Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Oct 9th, 2026

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $125.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 16.43% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on DIS. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. UBS Group set a $115.00 price objective on Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 24th. Truist Financial set a $115.00 price objective on Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.06.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Walt Disney

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $107.36 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $105.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.94. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $92.18 and a 52-week high of $117.09. The company has a market cap of $185.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. Walt Disney had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 9.90%. The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paul Roeder sold 3,596 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total value of $382,326.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total transaction of $762,233.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 62,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,563,235.13. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,452 shares of company stock valued at $1,532,157. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Osbon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 316.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 279 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 82.2% during the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 317 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Key Walt Disney News

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

Positive Sentiment: Disney+ will stream the 2027 Super Bowl. The game will be available to all U.S. Disney+ subscribers, alongside its traditional ESPN and ABC broadcasts. The event could drive subscriber engagement, provide valuable viewing data and create new digital advertising opportunities. Disney+ to stream upcoming Super Bowl
Positive Sentiment: Disney is pitching its Infinity Vision premium-screen format to rival studios. The proposed network, involving thousands of screens globally, could give Disney greater influence over how major releases reach audiences and potentially create a new source of theatrical revenue. Disney pitches rival studios on Infinity Vision large-screen format
Positive Sentiment: Disney raised prices at its U.S. theme parks while keeping many increases relatively modest. Higher ticket and premium-experience prices could support per-guest spending and Parks profitability, although demand remains an important consideration. Disneyland and Disney World price changes
Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush sees no immediate threat to IMAX from Disney’s proposed format. That assessment suggests Infinity Vision remains an early-stage strategic initiative rather than a near-term earnings driver, while it could still pressure the valuation of IMAX if widely adopted. Wedbush assessment of Disney’s IMAX rival
Neutral Sentiment: Disney continues reshaping its content-distribution model. Licensing selected titles to Netflix may generate cash and expand audience reach, but it also highlights the pressure on Disney to balance Disney+ growth with near-term profitability. Disney’s changing streaming strategy
Negative Sentiment: Disney’s dispute with the FCC has moved into the courts. Ongoing regulatory litigation creates legal uncertainty and could add costs or constrain management’s flexibility around ABC and other media assets. Disney and FCC court dispute

Walt Disney Company Profile

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The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is a global entertainment company that develops, produces and distributes branded content across film, television, streaming and other media platforms. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and 20th Century Studios, as well as ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN. The company also licenses its characters and intellectual property for consumer products, games and other experiences.

Disney operates theme parks, resorts and cruise lines through its Experiences business.