Disney Stock Has Some Upside With a Bigger Dividend

 

DIS stock is worth at 10% more than today's price, assuming its dividend comes back higher

 


Disney (NYSE:DIS) is likely to reach new highs once its earnings come out after the market closes on Feb. 11. DIS stock is down 3% year-to-date, but this downdraft could easily turn around after the earnings release.

 

The main reason is investors will see how powerful its over-the-top (OTT) streaming subscription services have become. For example, with 120 million subscribers the company is now the second-largest OTT subscription-based entertainment provide after Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). This includes Disney+ (which has been a huge success since it started last year, Hulu and ESPN).

 

Moreover, I believe Disney could announce a hike in their dividend per share. This is because it typically has jacked up the dividend more than once in 12 months.

 

Disney has not paid a dividend in the past year. The company previously cited Covid-19 (with little explanation as to why) and its desire to focus on direct-to-consumer (DTC) initiatives.  I believe at some point during 2021 they will relinquish and decide to pay the dividend again.

 

 

Moreover, as one analyst points out in Seeking Alpha, the company’s theme parks, a quarter of their revenues, should begin to reopen and normalize over the next year. This will act as another positive catalyst for DIS stock as those revenues return. Its parks are the largest theme and experience parks in the world and are hard to replicate. In the past, they have attracted 155 million visitors, with high prices. This is two-and-half times the next highest similar park system.

 

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