Is Disney Stock a Buy? A Comprehensive Analysis with Strong Buy Consensus

This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.

Zacks Rank Education – Learn about the Zacks Rank

Zacks Rank Home – Zacks Rank resources in one place

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The VGM Score are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.

The VGM score is based on the trading styles of Growth, VAlue, and Momentum.

Within the VGM Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.

As an investor, you want to buy srocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.

Zacks Style Scores Education – Learn more about the Zacks Style Scores.

The Cash/Price ratio is calculated as cash and marketable securities per share divided by the stock price. This is also referred to as the cash yield.

Like the earnings yield, which shows the anticipated yield (or return) on a stock based on the earnings and the price paid, the cash yield does the same, but with cash being the numerator instead of earnings. For example, a cash/price ratio, or cash yield, of .08 suggests an 8% return or 8 cents for every $1 of investment.

Enterprise Value / Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization is a valuation metric used to measure a companys value and is helpful in comparing one stock to another.

Enterprise Value (EV) is Market Capitalization + Debt – Cash. Many investors prefer EV to just Market Cap as a better way to determine the value of a company. EBITDA, as the acronym depicts, is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. That means these items are added back into the net income to produce this earnings number. Since there is a fair amount of discretion in whats included and not included in the ITDA portion of this calculation, it is considered a non-GAAP metric. The EV/EBITDA ratio is a valuation multiple and is often used in addition, or as an alternative, to the P/E ratio. And like the P/E ratio, a lower number is typically considered better than a higher number.

The PEG ratio is the P/E ratio divided by its long-term growth rate consensus. This ratio essentially compares the P/E to its growth rate, thus, for many, telling a more complete story than just the P/E ratio alone.

Conventional wisdom says that a PEG ratio of 1 or less is considered good (at par or undervalued to its growth rate). A value greater than 1, in general, is not as good (overvalued to its growth rate). For example, a company with a P/E ratio of 25 and a growth rate of 20% would have a PEG ratio of 1.25 (25 / 20 = 1.25). A company with a P/E ratio of 40 and a growth rate of 50% would have a PEG ratio of 0.80 (40 / 50 = 0.80). Traditionally, investors would look at the stock with the lower P/E and deem it a bargain. But when compared to its growth rate, it doest have the earnings growth to justify its P/E. In this example, the one with the P/E of 40 is the better bargain because it is selling at a discount to its growth rate. So the PEG ratio tells you what youre paying for each unit of earnings growth.

The Price to Book ratio or P/B is calculated as market capitalization divided by its book value. (Book value is defined as total assets minus liabilities, preferred stocks, and intangible assets.) In short, this is how much a company is worth. Investors use this metric to determine how a companys stock price stacks up to its intrinsic value.

A P/B of 1 means its selling at its per share book value. A P/B of 2 means its selling at 2 times its book value. A P/B of 0.5 means its selling at half its book value. Note; companies will typically sell for more than their book value in much the same way that a company will sell at a multiple of its earnings. The median P/B ratio for stocks in the S&P is just over 3. While a P/B of less than 3 would mean its trading at a discount to the market, different industries have different median P/B values. So, as with other valuation metrics, its a good idea to compare it to its relevant industry.

The Price to Cash Flow ratio or P/CF is price divided by its cash flow per share. Its another great way to determine whether a company is undervalued or overvalued with the denominator being cash flow.

One of the reasons why some investors prefer the P/CF ratio over the P/E ratio is because the net income of the cash flow portion rightly adds depreciation and amortization back in since these are not cash expenditures. In contrast, the net income that goes into the earnings portion of the P/E ratio does not add these in, thus artificially reducing the income and skewing the P/E ratio. Like the P/E ratio, a lower number is considered better. A value under 20 is generally considered good. Our testing substantiates this with the optimum range for price performance between 0-20.

The Price to Earnings ratio or P/E is price divided by earnings. It is the most commonly used metric for determining a companys value relative to its earnings. In this example, we are using the consensus earnings estimate for the Current Fiscal Year (F1).

A stock with a P/E ratio of 20, for example, is said to be trading at 20 times its annual earnings. In general, a lower number or multiple is usually considered better that a higher one. Value investors will typically look for stocks with P/E ratios under 20, while growth investors and momentum investors are often willing to pay much more. Aside from using absolute numbers, however, you can also find value by comparing the P/E ratio to its relevant industry and its peers.

The Price to Sales ratio or P/S is calculated as price divided by sales. After the P/E ratio, its one of the most common valuation metrics.

If the P/S ratio is 1, that means youre paying $1 for every $1 of sales the company makes. A P/S ratio of 2 means youre paying $2 for every $1 of sales the company makes. In general, the lower the ratio is the better. For example, a P/S ratio of 0.5 means youre paying 50 cents for every $1 of sales the company makes. One of the reasons some investors prefer the P/S ratio over other metrics like the P/E ratio is because sales are harder to manipulate on an income statement than earnings. While our testing has found that a P/S ratio of <2 is the optimum range for returns, be sure to compare this ratio to its respective industry.

The Earnings Yield (also known as the E/P ratio) measures the anticipated yield (or return) an investment in a stock could give you based on the earnings and the price paid. It is essentially the inverse of the P/E ratio. Its calculated as earnings divided by price.

For example, a stock trading at $35 with earnings of $3 would have an earnings yield of 0.0857 or 8.57%. A yield of 8.57% also means 8.57 cents of earnings for $1 of investment. The most common way this ratio is used is to compare it to other stocks and to compare it to the 10 Year T-Bill. Conventional wisdom also has it that if the yield on the stock market (S&P 500 for example) is lower that the yield on the 10 Yr., then stocks would be considered overvalued. Conversely, if the yield on stocks is higher than the 10 Yr., then stocks would be considered undervalued. Since bonds and stocks compete for investors dollars, a higher yield typically needs to be paid to the stock investor for the extra risk being assumed vs. the virtual risk-free investment offered in U.S.-backed Treasuries.

Debt to Equity (or D/E ratio) is total liabilities divided by total shareholder equity. It is used to help gauge a companys financial health.

A higher number means the company has more debt to equity, whereas a lower number means it has less debt to equity. A D/E ratio of 1 means its debt is equivalent to its common equity. When comparing this ratio to different stocks in different industries, take note that some businesses are more capital intensive than others. A D/E ratio of 2 might be par for the course in one industry, while 0.50 would be considered normal for another. So its a good idea to compare a stocks debt to equity ratio to its industry to see how it stacks up to its peers first.

Cash Flow per share ($/share) calculates the amount of incoming cash vs. the amount of outgoing cash for a company. Cash flow can be found on the cash flow statement. Its then divided by the number of shares outstanding to determine how much cash is generated per share. Its used by investors as a measure of financial health.

Cash is vital to a company in order to finance operations, invest in the business, pay expenses, etc. Since cash cant be manipulated like earnings can, its a preferred metric for analysts. Using this item along with the Current Cash Flow Growth Rate (in the Growth category above), and the Price to Cash Flow ratio (several items above in this same Value category), will give you a well-rounded indication of the amount of cash they are generating, the rate of their cash flow growth, and the stock price relative to its cash flow.

This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.

Zacks Rank Education – Learn about the Zacks Rank

Zacks Rank Home – Zacks Rank resources in one place

Zacks Premium – The way to access to the Zacks Rank

The VGM Score are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.

The VGM score is based on the trading styles of Growth, VAlue, and Momentum.

Within the VGM Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.

As an investor, you want to buy srocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.

Zacks Style Scores Education – Learn more about the Zacks Style Scores.

Historical EPS Growth Rate looks at the average annual (trailing 12 months) EPS growth rate over the last 3-5 years of actual earnings.

This longer-term historical perspective lets the user see how a company has grown over time. Note: there are many factors that can influence the longer-term number, not the least of which is the overall state of the economy (recession will reduce this number for example, while a recovery will inflate it), which can skew comparisons when looking out over shorter time frames. The longer-term perspective helps smooth out short-term events.

Projected EPS Growth looks at the estimated growth rate for one year. It takes the consensus estimate for the current fiscal year (F1) divided by the EPS for the last completed fiscal year (F0) (actual if reported, the consensus if not).

Growth traders and investors will tend to look for growth rates of 20% or higher. That does not mean that all companies with large growth rates will have a favorable Growth Score. Many other growth items are considered as well. But, typically, an aggressive growth trader will be interested in the higher growth rates.

Current Cash Flow Growth measures the percent change in the year over year Cash Flow. Cash Flow is net income plus depreciation and other non-cash charges. A strong cash flow is important for covering interest payments, particularly for highly leveraged companies.

Cash Flow is a measurement of a companys health. Its typically categorized as a valuation metric and is most often quoted as Cash Flow per Share and as a Price to Cash flow ratio. In this case, its the cash flow growth thats being looked at. A positive change in the cash flow is desired and shows that more cash is coming in than cash going out.

The Historical Cash Flow Growth is the longer-term (3-5 year annualized) growth rate of the cash flow change. Once again, cash flow is net income plus depreciation and other non-cash charges.

Cash flow itself is an important item on the income statement. While the one year change shows the current conditions, the longer look-back period shows how this metric has changed over time and helps put the current reading into proper perspective. Also, by looking at the rate of this item, rather than the actual dollar value, it makes for easier comparisons across the industry and peers.

The Current Ratio is defined as current assets divided by current liabilities. It measures a companys ability to pay short-term obligations. Its also commonly referred to as a liquidity ratio.

A ratio of 1 means a companys assets are equal to its liabilities. Less than 1 means its liabilities exceed its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables, etc.). Above 1 means it assets are greater than its liabilities. A ratio of 2 means its assets are twice that of its liabilities. A higher number is better than a lower number. A good number would usually fall within the range of 1.5 to 3. Like most ratios, this number will vary from industry to industry.

Debt to Capital (or D/C ratio) is the fraction of debt (including mortgages and long-term leases) to long-term capitalization.

This measure is expressed as a percentage. A higher number means the more debt a company has compared to its capital structure. Investors like this metric as it shows how a company finances its operations, i.e., what percentage is financed thru shareholder equity or debt. A ratio under 40% is generally considered to be good.But note; this ratio can vary widely from industry to industry. So be sure to compare it to its group when comparing stocks in different industries.

Net Margin is defined as net income divided by sales. This shows the percentage of profit a company earns on its sales.

If a companys net margin is 15%, for example, that means its net income (or profit) is 15 cents for every $1 of sales the company makes. A change in margin can reflect either a change in business conditions, or a companys cost controls, or both. If a companys expenses are growing faster than their sales, this will reduce their margins. But note, different industries have different margin rates that are considered good. And margin rates can vary significantly across these different groups. So, when comparing one stock to another in a different industry, its best make relative comparisons to that stocks respective industry values.

Return on Equity (or ROE) is calculated as income divided by average shareholder