Which Force Should Drive Disney Earnings?

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) will report its fiscal third-quarter financial results Tuesday after the markets close. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters call for $1.42 in earnings per share EPS on $13.23 billion in revenue. The same period from the previous year had $1.28 in EPS on $12.47 billion in revenue.

First and foremost, 24/7 Wall St. considers Disney to be one of the 10 stocks to own for the next decade.

This company continues outperforming on a near-term and long-term basis. Shares are up about 10% this quarter and nearly 45% in the past 52-weeks alone. With the movie studio business poised to improve, as with the accelerating theme park business, the network programming continues to drive viewership with extensive sports programming. Combining that revenue growth with the company’s solid media networks and interactive presence, and 2015 revenue estimates could be conservative.

ALSO READ: Customer Service Hall of Fame

During this past quarter, Disney had the third highest grossing film on the year so far in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Worldwide, the film grossed about $1.4 billion at the box office. The only films that beat it out were “Furious 7” and “Jurassic World.” However, Disney has an ace up its sleeve. The next Star Wars movie is set to debut in December, and early projections for easily one of the most recognizable franchises ever have this movie absolutely devastating the box office.

There was also some shuffling in the upper level of executives at Disney this past quarter. James A. Rasulo stepped down as chief financial officer (CFO) of the company effective June 30, 2015. Rasulo joined Disney in 1986 as director of strategic planning and development. Christine McCarthy was named as his replacement, and she will be the first female CFO for the House of Mouse.

In the previous earnings report, Disney saw its revenues increase across most of its segments. With the boost from the “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Disney is sitting well going into its fiscal third-quarter earnings.

Shares of Disney were up 0.3% at $121.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $123.44 and a 52-week trading range of $78.54 to $121.84.

ALSO READ: 10 Jobs With the Best Job Security

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618