Tag: stock analysis

Disney: The Media Juggernaut Continues Hot Streak

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


The Media Juggernaut

I’ve been a long bull of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) stock, particularly since the post-ESPN induced sell-off in throughout 2016. Since the lows of October 2016, Disney has seen a huge appreciation in stock price, breaking out to above $115 per share level as of late. This upswing has been on the heels of multiple catalysts such as of reporting record annual results, breaking the all-time worldwide box-office record, witnessing a slew of analyst upgrades, Iger extending his contract as CEO, ESPN woes subsiding, Shanghai Disney opening and Disney’s movie line-up announced through 2020. This inflection point coincided with Doctor Strange, Moana and Star Wars Rouge One in Q4 of 2016 followed by a record opening for its live action film, Beauty and the Beast. The stock fell from the $120s in late 2015 to the high $80s and had been stuck in the $80-$90 range all throughout 2016. This perpetual slump was almost entirely attributable to the decrease in ESPN subscribers and subsequent revenue and profit declines from that franchise. The ESPN franchise within the Media Networks segment generates revenue/operating income that is disproportionate to the amount of the company’s overall revenue and operating profit. Thus, one can see why investors were spooked after consecutive significant declines in ESPN subscribers and thus financial numbers over the past three years. Excluding ESPN, Disney has been executing well and reporting record numbers throughout all of its other business segments. Disney has a deep and diversified enough entertainment portfolio that made a compelling case that these ESPN fears were being overblown. Disney offered and still offers a compelling long-term investment opportunity considering the growth, pipeline, diversity of its portfolio, share repurchase program and dividend. Continue reading "Disney: The Media Juggernaut Continues Hot Streak" →

Disney Continues To Deliver - Iger Extends Contract

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

Over the previous six months, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has logged a solid 22% gain, moving from ~$92 to ~$113. I’ve been long Disney and wrote several pieces on how the strong fundamentals made a compelling case to buy shares when the stock traded down into the low $90s. The compelling long-term investment opportunity was drawn considering the growth drivers, pipeline, diversity of its portfolio, share repurchase program and dividend. As the first quarter of 2017 comes to an end, Disney continues to deliver strong fundamentals and catalysts moving into the future. At a high-level, Disney’s board has decided to extend Bob Iger’s contract to remain CEO, direct-to-consumer ESPN offerings are in the works, analyst upgrades continue to be issued and Beauty and Beast delivered record breaking numbers to start its film release slate on a strong note for 2017 (Figure 1).

NYSE:DIS
Figure 1 – Six-Month Chart For Disney

Bob Iger Extends Contract

Disney’s Board of Directors announced that it had extended Bob Iger’s contract as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to July 2, 2019. Bob Iger had been the subject of increasing succession talk after the lead candidate to replace Iger as CEO, Tom Staggs went on to pursue other opportunities and left the company last year. Continue reading "Disney Continues To Deliver - Iger Extends Contract" →

Analysts' Upgrades For Disney Are A Little Late To The Party

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

Recently, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has been on a sustained uptrend moving from $90 in October of 2016 to $109 as of mid-January 2017, logging a solid 21% gain in the process. I wrote several pieces on Disney when the stock was trading in the range of $89-$93 advocating that Disney offered a compelling long-term investment opportunity considering the growth, pipeline, diversity of its portfolio, share repurchase program and dividend. The shares sold-off in a meaningful way, moving from 2016 highs of $120 per share to the low $90s and remaining at that level for months. This 25% decline in the share price presented a buying opportunity in a great large-cap growth company with strong fundamentals. The fundamentals of Disney were stronger than ever despite the temporary ESPN woes. These ESPN issues were being addressed in a variety of ways via Hulu, BAMTech investment, Vice production deal and Sling TV. Once these issues were arrested and clarity with regard to a path forward in returning to growth in this segment was laid out, I posited that these shares would have tremendous upside. These corrective actions have been in the works with the backdrop of all its other segments reporting record numbers. Continue reading "Analysts' Upgrades For Disney Are A Little Late To The Party" →

Analysts' Upgrades For Disney Are A Little Late

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

Recently, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has been on a sustained uptrend moving from $90 in October of 2016 to $109 as of mid-January 2017, logging a solid 21% gain in the process. I wrote several pieces on Disney when the stock was trading in the range of $89-$93 advocating that Disney offered a compelling long-term investment opportunity considering the growth, pipeline, diversity of its portfolio, share repurchase program and dividend. The shares sold-off in a meaningful way moving from 2016 highs of $120 per share to the low $90s and remaining at that level for months. This 25% decline in the share price presented a buying opportunity in a great large-cap growth company with strong fundamentals. The fundamentals of Disney were stronger than ever despite the temporary ESPN woes. These ESPN issues were being addressed in a variety of ways via Hulu, BAMTech investment, Vice production deal and Sling TV. Once these issues were arrested and clarity with regard to a path forward in returning to growth in this segment was laid out, I posited that these shares would have tremendous upside. These corrective actions have been in the works with the backdrop of all its other segments reporting record numbers. Continue reading "Analysts' Upgrades For Disney Are A Little Late" →

Disney Pushing New Highs and Breaks All-Time Box Office Record

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

In early September I wrote an article speaking to the fact that The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) couldn’t seem to get out of its own way when it came to breaking out of its chronic stock slump. Over the past few weeks, Disney has seen a major move towards the $100 threshold after reporting its quarterly results and breaking the all-time worldwide box-office record. This uptick has been buoyed by Doctor Strange, Moana and Rouge One to round out the year at the box office. The stock fell from the $120s in late 2015 to low $90s and had been stuck in the $90 range all throughout 2016. This perpetual slump was almost entirely attributable to the decrease in ESPN subscribers and thus revenue and profit from their Media Networks segment. Excluding ESPN, Disney has been executing well and reporting record numbers throughout its other business segments. Disney has a deep and diversified enough entertainment portfolio to make a compelling case that these ESPN fears are overblown. Disney’s portfolio consists of Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Pixar, ESPN, ABC, 32% shareholder in Hulu and of course the core Disney franchise (Disney Studios, Disney consumer products, Parks and Resorts and Disney Cruise Line). The revenue stream from these assets is as diverse as the assets themselves. The ESPN franchise within the Media Networks segment generates revenue/operating income that are disproportionate to the amount of the company’s overall revenue and operating profit. Thus, one can see why investors were spooked after two consecutive significant declines in ESPN subscribers and thus numbers over the past three years. The decreases in revenue within this segment have been arrested and on the rebound due to measures put in place at Disney. As this revenue stream slowly recovers with initiatives put in place and investors can rest assure, Disney will likely retrace the $120 level seen in 2015. Continue reading "Disney Pushing New Highs and Breaks All-Time Box Office Record" →