. “While the delta variant represents new near-term risk,” he acknowledged, “a strong U.S. consumer is expected to last into 2022 and Disney’s strength in IP and investment in tech at Parks reinforce our confidence in this important earnings driver.” Swinburne reiterated his “overweght” rating on Disney shares, with a 12-month price target of $210.
Tuna Amobi of CFRA also kept his “buy” rating and $220 target. In a note, Amobi said the quarterly numbers “showed major strides on the road to recovery while successfully pivoting to its direct-to-consumer offerings, on stronger-than-expected aggregate net global streaming subscriber additions.” Continued re-openings of theme parks, theaters and live sporting events as Covid-19 vaccines continue to roll out, he added, provide “a silver lining on the gradual path to more normalized operations.
A few caveats were issued along with the generally optimistic takeaways. The main causes for skepticism are the outlook for the film studio given the uncertainties around theatrical releases, and the slim profitability of most recent growth in streaming. While Disney, the vast majority of the 12 million new customers came in via Disney+Hotstar, a lower-priced offering in India. Disney has about 45 million subscribers there, compared with 35 million in the previous quarter.
Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson reiterated his “neutral” rating on the stock and maintained his price target of $185. In a note to clients, though, he tipped his hat to the parks reound.
The analyst’s main reservation concerns the outlook for streaming, which powered gains in the stock in 2019 and 2020. Thus far in 2021, shares have essentially broken even. “Perhaps the first six months of calendar 2021 have been anomalistic due to the opening up of many economies post-pandemic and a dearth of more recurring Disney+ content,” Nathanson wrote.
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