Severe Disney Earnings Miss Is About To Ruin The Dow’s Week
Empty standing lanes for shuttle pickup at Disney World amusement park in Orlando, Florida. | Image: Lynne Neuman/shutterstock.com
- Disney just posted a harrowing earnings miss for quarter one.
- Its stock fell in after hours trading, along with Dow futures and ETFs.
- The stunning report could shell shock the Dow the rest of this week.
Disney badly missed Wall Street expectations in its first quarter earnings report .
That is likely to drag down Disney stock (NYSE:DIS) and the Dow Jones after the benchmark rallied Monday and Tuesday.
Disney shares didn’t share in the rally.
Even on Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you!), DIS took a 2.08% plunge. Equities analyst MoffettNathanson downgraded Disney stock Monday from “Buy” to “Neutral.”
Shares slid further Tuesday ahead of the Disney earnings report. Markets expected a whole new world of problems to weigh down earnings.
But the first-quarter results were even worse than analysts feared.
Disney Earnings Cratered in Quarter One
Financial market data firm Refinitiv’s consensus estimates projected earnings per share of $0.89 on revenue around $17.8 billion . Instead, The Walt Disney Company earned $0.60/share on $18.01 billion in revenue, a 63% year-over-year decline:
Excluding certain items affecting comparability, diluted EPS for the quarter decreased 63% to $0.60 from $1.61 in the prior-year quarter.
The coronavirus hit Disney especially hard. Closing down theme parks and cruises was a massive hit to the Burbank, California company’s revenue. But Disney also pointed to losses from supply chain disruptions and canceling theatrical releases. They’ve also seen their advertising sales decline as the economy seized up in a recession.
In total, we estimate that the COVID-19 impacts on our current quarter income from continuing operations before income taxes across all of our businesses was as much as $1.4 billion, inclusive of the impact at the Parks, Experiences and Products segment.
Disney’s problems are likely far from over. Disney could be especially hard hit if there is a second wave of coronavirus later this year during the fall and winter months.
Be Prepared for Dow Jones Capitulation
Dow futures fell after Disney reported earnings Tuesday. The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) also fell after the earnings report.
Disney stock also fell 3.38% in after hours trading shortly after earnings were released. It was one of the most active equities Tuesday evening with the fourth highest after hours volume .
Disney stock has had a track record of pushing the Dow up and down with its swings. Not only will the Dow component have a direct impact on the benchmark, but what its earnings signals to investors about the economy will likely affect other Dow 30 stocks.
Disney’s massive earnings miss shows the impacts of coronavirus might be worse than equities reflect, portending a correction this week in order to price in the beleaguered entertainment giant’s woes.
Disclaimer: This article represents the author’s opinion and should not be considered investment or trading advice from CCN.com. The author has no position in any of the securities mentioned.
