Disney Appoints New CEO and Creative Chief Amid Leadership Changes
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 03 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Leadership Changes: Disney has appointed Josh D'Amaro as the new CEO and elevated Dana Walden to president and creative chief, a move that was largely expected on Wall Street, reflecting stability and continuity in executive selection.
- Concerns of History Repeating: D'Amaro's appointment raises concerns reminiscent of former CEO Bob Chapek's tenure, who lacked experience in film production and television networks, leading to significant losses in the streaming division, which analysts find troubling.
- Potential for Collaboration: Analysts suggest that the combination of D'Amaro and Walden could fill the creative leadership gap, as D'Amaro's operational strengths paired with Walden's creative expertise may drive new growth for the company.
- Investor Confidence: Wells Fargo views this leadership reshuffle as more positive than a co-CEO arrangement, while Evercore ISI believes D'Amaro will have sufficient time to set strategy and align the organization for sustainable growth.
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Analyst Views on DIS
Wall Street analysts forecast DIS stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
16 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 98.630
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
Current: 98.630
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
About DIS
The Walt Disney Company is a diversified worldwide entertainment company. The Company's segments include Entertainment, Sports and Experiences. The Entertainment segment generally encompasses its non-sports focused global film and episodic content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Entertainment segment along with their business activities include Linear Networks, Direct-to-Consumer, and Content Sales/Licensing. The Sports segment encompasses its sports-focused global television and direct-to-consumer (DTC) video streaming content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Sports segment include ESPN and Star. The Experiences segment includes Parks and Experiences and Consumer Products. Parks and Experiences consists of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California, Disney Cruise Line, and others. Consumer Products includes licensing of its trade names, characters, visual, literary and other IP.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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