Walt Disney shares gain the most in a month on Monday, “Frozen II” becomes the 6th Disney movie to surpass the $1 billion mark this year

Walt Disney’s “Frozen II” has now earned more than $1 billion since its debut and has become the sixth movie from the studio, along with “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Toy Story 4” to achieve this in 2019.

“Frozen II” has also become the seventh largest animated release in history internationally.

Walt Disney shares closed higher for the fourth time in the past ten trading sessions in New York on Monday. It has also been the sharpest daily surge since November 18th. The stock went up 1.42% ($2.08) to $148.46, after touching an intraday high at $148.63, or a price level not seen since December 12th ($148.93).

Shares of Walt Disney Company have risen 35.39% so far in 2019 compared with a 27.31% gain for the benchmark index, S&P 500 (SPX).

In 2018, Walt Disney’s stock went up 1.99%, thus, it again outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a 6.24% loss.

“‘Frozen II’ is now Disney’s sixth 2019 release to cross the $1 billion threshold and with ‘Star Wars’ (which is predestined to join the $1 billion club) just a few days away the studio is going enjoy a very happy and fruitful holiday season at the box office,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, was quoted as saying by CNBC.

“Frozen II” was released in theaters during the week before the Thanksgiving Day holiday and earned $127 million during its opening weekend in the United States.

Analyst stock price forecast and recommendation

According to CNN Money, the 22 analysts, offering 12-month forecasts regarding Walt Disney’s stock price, have a median target of $160.00, with a high estimate of $175.00 and a low estimate of $138.00. The median estimate represents a 7.77% upside compared to the closing price of $148.46 on December 16th.

The same media also reported that at least 19 out of 25 surveyed investment analysts had rated Walt Disney’s stock as “Buy”, while 6 – as “Hold”.