Activist pressure lifts their stock prices

Article Excerpt

These two stocks have moved up recently in response to activist pressure. However, we feel Disney is in a better position to keep moving higher for its investors. WALT DISNEY CO. $113 is still a buy. The company (New York symbol DIS; Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $203.4 billion; Dividend yield: 0.8%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.thewaltdisneycompany.com) is an entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. It’s also the world’s largest theme-park operator. Disney owns an extensive portfolio of entertainment properties and brands, including Marvel and Star Wars. It monetizes them through film and TV production, distribution, merchandising, theme-park attractions, as well as cable and streaming subscriptions. Activist investor Nelson Peltz, who through Trian Fund Management owns about 2% of Disney, recently failed in his attempt to win a seat on the board of directors. Peltz wanted the company to aggressively cut costs and improve the performance of its Disney+ streaming service. However, CEO Bob Iger is already cutting costs, and the streaming business…