Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR – Get Free Report) and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends, risk, profitability and institutional ownership.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Sphere Entertainment and Walt Disney”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Sphere Entertainment | $1.22 billion | 3.30 | $33.40 million | ($0.45) | -253.74 |
| Walt Disney | $94.43 billion | 1.98 | $12.40 billion | $6.80 | 15.52 |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
92.0% of Sphere Entertainment shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.7% of Walt Disney shares are owned by institutional investors. 22.1% of Sphere Entertainment shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Walt Disney shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability
This table compares Sphere Entertainment and Walt Disney’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Sphere Entertainment | 2.16% | -8.84% | -4.60% |
| Walt Disney | 12.80% | 8.90% | 5.07% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Sphere Entertainment and Walt Disney, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Sphere Entertainment | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2.58 |
| Walt Disney | 1 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 2.67 |
Sphere Entertainment presently has a consensus price target of $101.23, indicating a potential downside of 11.34%. Walt Disney has a consensus price target of $135.80, indicating a potential upside of 28.71%. Given Walt Disney’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Walt Disney is more favorable than Sphere Entertainment.
Risk & Volatility
Sphere Entertainment has a beta of 1.68, suggesting that its stock price is 68% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Walt Disney has a beta of 1.43, suggesting that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Walt Disney beats Sphere Entertainment on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Sphere Entertainment
Sphere Entertainment Co. engages in the entertainment business. It produces, presents, or hosts various live entertainment events, including concerts, family shows, and special events, as well as sporting events, such as professional boxing, college basketball and hockey, professional bull riding, mixed martial arts, and esports and wrestling in its venues, including The Garden, Hulu Theater, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theatre in New York City; and The Chicago Theatre. The company also operates entertainment dining and nightlife venues markets under the Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, Cathédrale, Hakkasan, and Omnia brand names. The company was formerly known as Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. and changed its name to Sphere Entertainment Co. in April 2023. Sphere Entertainment Co. was founded in 2006 and is based in New York, New York.
About Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners. It also offers direct-to-consumer streaming services through Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, Hulu, and Star+; sports-related entertainment services through ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+ DTC, and Star; sale/licensing of film and episodic content to third-party television and VOD services; theatrical, home entertainment, and music distribution services; DVD and Blu-ray discs, electronic home video licenses, and VOD rental services; staging and licensing of live entertainment events; and post-production services. In addition, the company operates theme parks and resorts comprising Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, National Geographic Expeditions, and Adventures by Disney, as well as Aulani, a Disney resort and spa in Hawaii. It also licenses its intellectual property to a third party for operations of the Tokyo Disney Resort; licenses trade names, characters, visual, literary, and other IP for use on merchandise, published materials, and games; operates a direct-to-home satellite distribution platform; sells branded merchandise through retail, online, and wholesale businesses; and develops and publishes books, comic books, and magazines. The company was founded in 1923 and is based in Burbank, California.
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