DIS - The Walt Disney Company
| Previous Close | 140.23 |
| Open | 140.12 |
| Bid | 0.00 x 1200 |
| Ask | 0.00 x 1100 |
| Day's Range | 137.80 - 140.47 |
| 52 Week Range | 100.35 - 143.51 |
| Volume | 10,466,560 |
| Avg. Volume | 12,230,292 |
| Market Cap | 250.554B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 0.70 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 15.58 |
| EPS (TTM) | 8.94 |
| Earnings Date | Aug 5, 2019 - Aug 9, 2019 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 1.76 (1.26%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | 2018-12-07 |
| 1y Target Est | 149.26 |
- Yahoo Finance•11 hours ago
'Toy Story 4' missed expectations, but 'any other studio would be thrilled'
Disney’s ‘Toy Story 4’ hit the box office this weekend and brought in an estimated $118 million in the U.S., short of Disney's $140 million projection.
- Yahoo Finance•16 hours ago
Companies to Watch: Spotify downgraded, FDA signs off on Palatin drug, FedEx cuts prices
Spotify, Palatin, FedEx, Facebook and Disney are the companies to watch.
- MarketWatch•7 hours ago
Tax the ultra-rich more, George Soros and 17 other American billionaires urge
Taxing the richest of the rich will benefit all Americans, a group of the wealthiest Americans says in an open letter to the 2020 presidential candidates. In a Medium blog post published Sunday, the group of 18 ultra-rich individuals — including George Soros, Facebook Inc. (FB) co-founder Chris Hughes, heiress Abigail Disney and Molly Munger (the daughter of Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK) Charlie) — argue that taxing the richest 1/10 of the richest 1% of Americans is not only fair, it’s vital. “This revenue could substantially fund the cost of smart investments in our future, like clean energy innovation to mitigate climate change, universal child care, student loan debt relief, infrastructure modernization, tax credits for low-income families, public health solutions, and other vital needs,” the group wrote.
- Bloomberg•7 hours ago
In Defense of the Not-So-Cute Animals
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Way back in 1979, the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould made a case that cuteness is not an arbitrary notion, but a measurable trait that can make people feel protective and nurturing. Scientists have since measured the trait – and even identified how dogs use special facial muscles to make themselves “cute.” Understanding this shouldn’t make us love cute animals any less, but it could motivate us to love the not-so-cute ones more.Gould’s “Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse” showed that in response to public pressure, the Disney icon gradually developed fatter limbs, a more domed forehead and bigger eyes – all traits suggestive of human babies. Such features in adult humans and other animals – a phenomenon called neoteny – can coax strong emotions from us. Just look at how we baby our dogs.While they are so closely related to wolves that the species can still interbreed, dogs are cute in ways wolves are not. This month, scientists showed that it’s not just babylike features, but also expressions, that distinguish dogs from wolves. Dogs but not wolves appear to have muscles that allow them to raise their eyebrows, widening their eyes to suggest sadness, or sweetness.What makes this finding all the more extraordinary is that the trait may not have been the work of active domestication by humans, but of evolution, as one branch of wolves diverged from its brethren to start cooperating with humanity.Penn State University researcher Pat Shipman has pointed out that when modern humans and Neanderthals both lived in Europe some 40,000 years ago, they were anatomically very similar, and both branches of humanity used similarly complex tools. Both had tamed fire, but only the modern humans had begun cooperating with dogs.In Shipman’s hypothesis, human-dog teams were much better hunters than groups of either alone. Humans could save energy, letting dogs track the prey before humans went in for the kill with spears or arrows. Neanderthals did contribute a small amount to the genetic heritage of modern humans, though most of their kind were wiped out, and, according to the fossil record, they were not dog people.When modern humans think that other animals are cute, we’re being tricked. We evolved to respond to cuteness because our babies are so helpless. There was an advantage to feeling protective toward them. Domesticated dogs co-opted that by evolving neoteny and human-like expressions. Because wolves did not, they have paid a price. Brian Hare, director of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, wrote in National Geographic that nearly every human culture with the opportunity has hunted wolves to extinction.People can rise above our instincts. Last winter I visited a wolf sanctuary in Pennsylvania, set up to rescue victims of humans foolish enough to think they could keep wolves as pets. These animals needed all the help they could get, and lucky for them, the caretakers had come to love them, even if they can’t make puppy dog eyes. We could think of that love as a further step in human evolution.To contact the author of this story: Faye Flam at fflam1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Philip Gray at philipgray@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Faye Flam is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. She has written for the Economist, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Psychology Today, Science and other publications. She has a degree in geophysics from the California Institute of Technology.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Motley Fool•8 hours ago
Pretty Little Liars' Netflix Departure Is a Sign of Things to Come
Netflix might have a problem we all saw coming.
- Zacks•9 hours ago
Walt Disney (DIS) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know
In the latest trading session, Walt Disney (DIS) closed at $139.10, marking a -0.81% move from the previous day.
- Market Realist•10 hours ago
Can Blockbuster Movies Help Boost Disney’s Studio Revenues in Q3?
Walt Disney’s (DIS) studio revenue largely depends on the timing and popularity of the movie release and box office collection. Disney’s studio revenues declined 15% YoY to $2.1 billion due to a decline in the worldwide theatrical as well as home entertainment distribution business.
- Market Realist•11 hours ago
Disney’s Toy Story 4 Broke Records in the First Weekend
Walt Disney’s (DIS) latest movie, Toy Story 4, has reportedly broken records in the opening weekend with $118 million in sales. However, opening weekend sales were behind analysts’ expectations of at least $150 million.
- American City Business Journals•13 hours ago
Welcome to the dollhouse: When ‘Toy Story 4’s’ franchise-best $118 million opening isn’t big enough
“Toy Story 4” didn’t quite go "to infinity and beyond” at the weekend box office, but The Walt Disney Co. animated adventure did debut with a stellar estimated $118 million in domestic ticket sales. Meanwhile, the movie, which cost as much as $200 million to make, added $120 million from 37 international markets for a global launch of $238 million.
- Zacks•13 hours ago
3 Tech Stocks for Growth Investors to Buy
Now it's time to check out three tech stocks that came through our screen today that growth investors might want to consider at the moment...
- Bloomberg•13 hours ago
‘We Are Part of the Problem’: Billionaires and Heirs Demand Wealth Tax
(Bloomberg) -- They’re an eclectic bunch -- some of the nation’s most privileged heirs alongside entrepreneurs who have made spectacular fortunes in real estate, finance and Silicon Valley. But collectively they’re united on the need to tax more of the richest Americans’ assets.George Soros, heiresses to the Pritzker fortune, Abigail Disney and Facebook Inc. co-founder Chris Hughes are among those calling for a wealth tax to help address income inequality and provide funding for climate change and public health initiatives.“We are writing to call on all candidates for President, whether they are Republicans or Democrats, to support a moderate wealth tax on the fortunes of the richest one-tenth of the richest 1% of Americans -- on us,” according to a letter signed by 19 individuals -- one anonymously -- and posted online Monday. “The next dollar of new tax revenue should come from the most financially fortunate, not from middle-income and lower-income Americans.”One of the youngest signers, 35-year-old Liesel Pritzker Simmons, whose extended family is worth more than $33 billion, framed the situation simply: “We are part of the problem, so tax us.”The signers “thought it was important for people who would be affected by a wealth tax to come out publicly and say we want this, this is OK, this leads toward the America we want to see,” she said in a phone interview.In the short term, the group hopes the letter “sparks a debate with the 2020 candidates" and that a wealth tax, or alternatives to one, are discussed during the upcoming Presidential debates, said Pritzker Simmons, who supports Elizabeth Warren for the Democratic nomination. “These are conversations that have been had in the past, but now the time is right,” she said.Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, as well as fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke support the idea, according to the letter. Warren has proposed a 2% tax on assets of $50 million or more, and a further 1% on assets over $1 billion. It is estimated to generate nearly $3 trillion in tax revenue over 10 years.Read more: Sanders to propose taxing Wall Street to pay off student debtsThe wealth tax isn’t embraced by all Democrats, though, with some arguing it would be difficult to objectively assess the value of wealth like artwork and jewels or illiquid assets. There are also concerns that such a tax is unconstitutional because the federal government is prohibited from taxing property, only income.“If your main argument is that it’s going to be hard, that’s a lazy argument,” Pritzker Simmons said. “We can figure it out.”European countries have experienced mixed results with a wealth tax. Of 15 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that had them in 1995, only four -- Switzerland, Belgium, Norway and Spain -- still do. France, Sweden and Germany are among those that backed away from the levy because of the difficulties implementing them.Some of those signing the letter have already expressed concerns about rising inequality. Hughes has evangelized for higher taxes on the rich in his book “Fair Shot.” Disney, whose grandfather and great-uncle founded Walt Disney Co., recently called Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger’s $65.6 million compensation package “insane.”The New York Times reported on the letter earlier Monday.Another signatory, entrepreneur Nick Hanauer, first warned his “fellow zillionaires” about the country’s growing wealth divide in 2014, writing that “there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out.”Such inequality has only deepened. Last week, Bernard Arnault joined Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as the third person with a fortune of at least $100 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, whose 500 members have a total net worth of $5.5 trillion, up from $4.9 trillion two years ago.“If we don’t do something like this, what are we doing, just hoarding this wealth in a country that’s falling apart at the seams?” Pritzker Simmons said. “That’s not the America we want to live in.”\--With assistance from Laura Davison.To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Metcalf in London at tmetcalf7@bloomberg.net;Suzanne Woolley in New York at swoolley2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Steven CrabillFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Bloomberg•13 hours ago
Rocked by Stock Rout, ‘Hunger Games’ Studio Is Ready to Talk
(Bloomberg) -- The studio that brought you “The Hunger Games,’’ “Mad Men’’ and “John Wick’’ is now facing its own existential question.Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has lost more than half its market value over the last year as the once-idolized filmmaker struggles to find new megahits. On top of that, recent mergers have created entertainment behemoths that threaten to make smaller studios an afterthought in Hollywood’s new blockbuster environment.All that has created a new sense of urgency around the 22-year-old Lions Gate as it weighs its future: open itself to being acquired, sell off pieces, or try to bulk up to compete with the giants.“Some studios have scale and unfortunately some studios are now subscale,” said John Tinker, an analyst at Gabelli & Co. “The question is obviously, if you are a smaller studio and you do not own Marvel, what are you going to do?”Investors are worried and frustrated that management may have missed the M&A boat, said Geetha Ranganathan, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “Time and options seem to be running out.”Lions Gate shares fell as much as 5.3% Monday to a seven-year low of $11.38 in New York. The company declined to comment.The studio was formed in 1997 in Vancouver by movie-loving mining financier Frank Giustra. It made its name distributing R-rated movies like “American Psycho” and, with the acquisition of Summit Entertainment in 2012, was propelled into the big leagues by the teen-vampire “Twilight” film saga. That same year it also launched the “The Hunger Games’’ franchise. (The studio announced last week there might be a prequel.)But as a smaller company, Lions Gate has long been a target of merger speculation. Companies from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to Sony to CBS Corp. have been linked to potential deals. Two years ago, Lions Gate walked away from talks with game-maker Hasbro Inc. involving a $41 a share offer, worth almost $9 billion, people familiar with the situation said.Today, the stock trades below $12, weighed down by two years of declining revenue in its motion picture division, and merger talks have picked up again. Lions Gate has held informal discussions in the past year with companies that may be interested in buying the whole business, people with knowledge of the situation said. But with the stock at seven-year lows, the studio isn’t interested in selling itself at the moment, people close to the situation said.A handful of other strategies are under discussion. One is to buy a stake in Miramax, the film producer formerly owned by the Weinstein brothers, one of the people said. Its current owner, BeIn Media Group, has recently sought buyers for a minority stake. Such a move would give Lions Gate access to a library of Oscar-winning movies such as “Shakespeare in Love” and, more recently, revived franchises like “Halloween.” A Miramax spokesman declined to comment.Starz SaleThe company is also considering selling the studio’s pay-cable network Starz, which contributes more than half its profits. Lions Gate last month turned down a $5 billion informal bid from CBS for Starz, but a sale remains a possibility, according to people familiar with the situation. If that happens, industry sources say, a slimmed-down Lions Gate might become more attractive to potential bidders. Others suggest the studio would be a tough sell without Starz.Meanwhile, the studio is looking to raise perhaps several hundred million dollars from investors to expand Starz internationally. That effort will be slowed down by upcoming negotiations with AT&T’s DirecTV over fees to carry the channel.At recent stock prices, Lions Gate is valued at less than the sum of its parts, according to Tim Nollen, a Macquarie Capital analyst. Shares could be worth $21 in a breakup, with a $5 billion valuation for Starz, $1.5 billion for the motion picture unit and $1 billion for the TV segment.Malone StakeFor investors such as cable magnate John Malone, who first bought shares in 2015 at around $30, it’s a rare miss. He controls about 8% of Class A shares. Hedge fund manager Mark Rachesky, Lions Gate’s chairman, is the biggest investor with a 19% Class A stake. He has owned shares since 2004 and backed the studio in fighting off a takeover by Carl Icahn in 2010.A spokeswoman for Malone did not return requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Rachesky declined to comment.Trends sweeping Hollywood will only make it more difficult for Lions Gate to remain independent. The merging of Disney and Fox’s film companies, and AT&T and Time Warner Inc., along with Comcast’s Universal Pictures, has created a trio of studios that own and produce well-known blockbuster movie franchises, such as the Marvel superhero universe and DC Comics. The result is a small group of big films increasingly dominating the box office.Netflix ProductionMoreover, buyers for Lions Gate’s typically mid-budget fare may be shrinking. Disney and WarnerMedia are investing billions in making their own shows to lure subscribers to new streaming services. Netflix Inc., too, is producing more and more of its original content in-house, a big change from the early days when Lions Gate’s “Orange Is the New Black’’ helped make the streaming channel required viewing. That trend could lessen demand for TV programs and films made by independent studios.Lions Gate has had some successes lately. “John Wick: Chapter 3--Parabellum” helped lift it to fourth in the box office this year, ahead of competitors like Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures. And the studio is still finding buyers for its shows, recently selling to HBO, NBC and even streaming platforms run by WarnerMedia and Apple Inc.Jim Gianopulos, chief executive officer of one of the smaller shops, Paramount Studios, said that appealing programming will ultimately win out regardless of production size. “Scale has its virtues, but the creative process is independent of it,” Gianopulos said in an interview.But some analysts aren’t so confident.“For the longest time, people thought the studios would come out as the winners because they own the content,” Ranganathan said. But in the wake of the mergers, “You need established franchises. If you don’t have scale, you can’t compete.”(Updates with analyst’s comment in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Anousha Sakoui in Los Angeles at asakoui@bloomberg.net;Nabila Ahmed in New York at nahmed54@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at papadopoulos@bloomberg.net, ;Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Larry ReibsteinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Market Realist•13 hours ago
Why Imperial Capital Downgraded Disney Stock
Last week, Imperial Capital (June 17) downgraded Walt Disney (DIS) stock to "in-line" or "hold" from "outperform" as the stock attained record valuation.
- Market Realist•13 hours ago
Disney’s Streaming Service Will Launch in November
The Disney Company's (DIS) streaming platform, known as Disney+, will launch on November 12, 2019, and will be priced at $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, nearly 50.0% cheaper than Netflix’s most popular subscription plan of $12.99 per month.
- Investor's Business Daily•13 hours ago
Stocks Today: United Technologies Leads Dow Jones; Ulta Beauty Falls On Amazon Threat
Dow Jones stocks today on the move included United Technologies, which got an upgrade from Cowen & Co. Ulta Beauty fell on new competition from Amazon.
- Investor's Business Daily•14 hours ago
Best Growth Stocks To Buy And Research
Looking for the best growth stocks to buy? Start by identifying the seven traits of winning stocks, then use IBD screens to find stocks showing them now.
- TheStreet.com•14 hours ago
Top 30 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time Adjusted for Inflation
Comic book movies and CGI thrillers dominate the box office these days, but has it always been that way?
- American City Business Journals•14 hours ago
Disney to start demolition work for this new project
Walt Disney World's work on one of its newest resorts appears to be making headway as the rest of the Orlando tourism industry gears up for the Aug. 29 debut of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. A new permit filed June 16 with Orange County gives a peek at what crews are up to at the site of Disney's (NYSE: DIS) new 900-room resort — Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge. The permit is for the demolition "associated with existing utilities and surrounding configuration" at 4420 Big Pines Road, which is near the construction site for the future resort slated to replace Disney's long-shuttered River Country water park.
- Business Wire•14 hours ago
“Ay Caramba!” Springfield Takes Over Anaheim as The Simpsons Make Their D23 Expo Debut
Matt Groening, Al Jean, Matt Selman, Mike B. Anderson, and stars Nancy Cartwright & Yeardley Smith make their debut at D23 Expo with an entertaining panel, autograph signing, and more! The longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, The Simpsons, makes its first appearance at D23 Expo.
- TheStreet.com•15 hours ago
Trading Disney Stock as Blockbuster Films Continue to Roll
In short, the future is bright and Disney is positioning itself for the next wave of entertainment consumption. In the meantime, its upcoming and current films should bolster Disney's financials. In April, Disney stock gapped higher from $118 to $130 after the company's investor meeting.
- Market Realist•15 hours ago
Disney Raises Park Access Costs
Walt Disney (DIS) has raised the costs of its annual theme park passes, Dish is in talks to pay at least $6.0 billion for Boost, and the Murdoch family is exploring another asset sale. Let's look at these updates and more.
- Market Realist•15 hours ago
How Netflix Stacks Up amid Intensifying Streaming Competition
While Netflix (NFLX) continues to be a market leader in the streaming space, it's facing competition from Hulu, Amazon Prime (AMZN), the Walt Disney Company (DIS), YouTube (GOOGL), Apple TV, and WarnerMedia (T). Let's look at the overall video streaming market and how these players stack up.
- Barrons.com•15 hours ago
‘Toy Story 4’ Is a Winner for Disney Stock
‘Toy Story 4’ will be a long-term hit for Walt Disney stock, a profit breakdown by one Wall Street firm suggests.
