Disney's New CEO Faces Significant Challenges Ahead
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy DIS?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Stock Performance Issues: Disney's stock closed at $91.80 in November 2022, and has only risen 9% over the past 41 months, while the S&P 500 surged 69%, indicating relative weakness that could undermine investor confidence.
- Streaming Success: Despite challenges, former CEO Chapek's new streaming service thrived during his tenure, showcasing Disney's potential in digital content, which may lead to sustained revenue growth in the future.
- Increased Market Pressure: New CEO Josh D'Amaro takes over during the annual shareholder meeting, facing dual pressures from shareholders and fans, necessitating a balance between meeting fan expectations and achieving financial goals to avoid further stock declines.
- Historical Lessons: Former CEO Iger's success stemmed from turning streaming operations profitable, and D'Amaro must learn from his experience, particularly in navigating market fluctuations and shareholder expectations, to ensure Disney's long-term sustainability.
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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: 96.380
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
Current: 96.380
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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- Future Outlook: While the fiscal Q2 adjusted EPS is expected to be flat or down year-over-year, Prentiss anticipates that several tailwinds in the second half, including two cruise ship launches and the Frozen expansion at Disneyland Paris, will significantly enhance performance optics.
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