News Josh D’Amaro Named Next CEO of The Walt Disney Company

[Tha Realest]

It’s not an excuse. The entire market is way down today.

Not Comcast, Royal Caribbean, or Carnival, often thrown out as good comparisons - they’re largely unaffected. Even Netflix and Amazon are only down 3% (not 6% like DIS).

If this is a stock sale troubled about AI Disney has recently made a big investment in OpenAI and the Disney BOD just charged its new president and COO with utilizing those tools in entertainment production.

That may explain why DIS is much more affected than their competitors today.

 

[Andrew C]

My only point is that it's so up and down every day, it's not something most should really care about from a macro daily level.


Sure look at the big picture, zoom out, there's a story. But creating a narrative around a dip specifically today, when it's all in the red today, is disingenuous at best.

Got it. Understood.

 

[flyerjab]

I’m prefacing this by saying I know nothing about stocks. I am a middle aged novice. That being said, I remember my first job out of college at Air Products. They would give educational classes on stocks and the market. This person always said to never judge a stock’s performance without also considering the complete history of performance.

It obviously depends upon when you came to own DIS stock, but even after the Covid impacts and the loss of value, it is still way more valuable than back in 2005. And that date of course matches up exactly when Big Bob took over. His price increases, acquisitions and overall vision during the latter half of the 2000s into and up to the pandemic was impressive. No wonder the Street loved this guy back then.

I do feel like the pandemic had some sort of lasting impact on Hollywood that still hasn’t been shaken off. I also think that Disney+ hasn’t been maximized…yet. Let’s see how good Dana Walden really is at content creation. Maybe that gets better, maybe it never really flourishes.

Josh is in a tough spot. I don’t know how far the film side of things will ever recover. And with Netflix dominating market share and so much other competition in streaming this might be a losing battle for Disney+. And of course linear is a melting ice cube for everyone.

It will be interesting to see how much more blood Josh can get from the Experiences stone in terms of price increases before consumers say “no more!” With the parks and cruises. Somehow, this hasn’t happened yet, but discounts have been a plenty this year. The other switch Josh is trying to flip is gaming. I don’t know how profitable this can be. I will say this though, in-game purchases for FortNite are insane. It will be interesting to see how much profit can be made from this new and emerging part of the flywheel.

 

[Stripes]

Disney stock down 6% today. A disaster.

 

[Disney Analyst]

View attachment 907570

Yeesh, I haven't checked Netflix in a long time, they've had a rough 6 months.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

View attachment 907570

Yeah, I had to laugh at that statement too…

 

[JoeCamel]

I’m prefacing this by saying I know nothing about stocks. I am a middle aged novice. That being said, I remember my first job out of college at Air Products. They would give educational classes on stocks and the market. This person always said to never judge a stock’s performance without also considering the complete history of performance.

View attachment 907559
It obviously depends upon when you came to own DIS stock, but even after the Covid impacts and the loss of value, it is still way more valuable than back in 2005. And that date of course matches up exactly when Big Bob took over. His price increases, acquisitions and overall vision during the latter half of the 2000s into and up to the pandemic was impressive. No wonder the Street loved this guy back then.

I do feel like the pandemic had some sort of lasting impact on Hollywood that still hasn’t been shaken off. I also think that Disney+ hasn’t been maximized…yet. Let’s see how good Dana Walden really is at content creation. Maybe that gets better, maybe it never really flourishes.

Josh is in a tough spot. I don’t know how far the film side of things will ever recover. And with Netflix dominating market share and so much other competition in streaming this might be a losing battle for Disney+. And of course linear is a melting ice cube for everyone.

It will be interesting to see how much more blood Josh can get from the Experiences stone in terms of price increases before consumers say “no more!” With the parks and cruises. Somehow, this hasn’t happened yet, but discounts have been a plenty this year. The other switch Josh is trying to flip is gaming. I don’t know how profitable this can be. I will say this though, in-game purchases for FortNite are insane. It will be interesting to see how much profit can be made from this new and emerging part of the flywheel.

You are using a static number and not accounting for time. 2005 to 2026 the stock has underperformed the market and even fixed investments would have returned more

 

[Animaniac93-98]

"I'm not wild about the fact that it is so expensive now to go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. I'm not wild about the fact that it's harder than ever to have everyone be a VIP at a Disney park because they're selling certain things..."

- Michael Eisner

Very candid stuff with this new interview on a variety of a subjects. This is only one small part:

 

[Stripes]

You are using a static number and not accounting for time. 2005 to 2026 the stock has underperformed the market and even fixed investments would have returned more

This is just one arbitrary measurement. The stock’s performance has varied with time. Between 2005 and 2021 the stock was significantly outperforming the market. The future is long and unknown.

 

[JoeCamel]

This is just one arbitrary measurement. The stock’s performance has varied with time. Between 2005 and 2021 the stock was significantly outperforming the market. The future is long and unknown.

But what I said refers to the stated time period (Bob's tenure) the OP set, you are correct for your time period but that only proves cherry picking can skew results. ~35% per year vs ~15% per year for your example further proving how bad $DIS has been the last 5 years compared to the rest of the market

From AI

From January 2005 to February 2026, investing in the S&P 500 would have provided a significantly higher total return than investing in Disney (DIS).

Investment Comparison (Jan 2005 - Feb 2026)

• S&P 500: A lump-sum investment in an S&P 500 index fund at the beginning of 2005, with all dividends reinvested, would have grown by approximately 757.91% by the end of 2026. This is an annualized return of 10.78%.
• Disney (DIS): The total return for Disney stock from early 2005 to February 2026, with dividends reinvested, was approximately 450-500% (calculated based on an investment in November 2005 vs S&P 500's 454% total return over the same period). The stock's price appreciation alone (excluding dividend reinvestment) was about 276.81% from early Jan 2005 to Feb 2026.

 

[Stripes]

But what I said refers to the stated time period (Bob's tenure) the OP set, you are correct for your time period but that only proves cherry picking can skew results. ~35% per year vs ~15% per year for your example further proving how bad $DIS has been the last 5 years compared to the rest of the market

From AI

From January 2005 to February 2026, investing in the S&P 500 would have provided a significantly higher total return than investing in Disney (DIS).

Investment Comparison (Jan 2005 - Feb 2026)

• S&P 500: A lump-sum investment in an S&P 500 index fund at the beginning of 2005, with all dividends reinvested, would have grown by approximately 757.91% by the end of 2026. This is an annualized return of 10.78%.
• Disney (DIS): The total return for Disney stock from early 2005 to February 2026, with dividends reinvested, was approximately 450-500% (calculated based on an investment in November 2005 vs S&P 500's 454% total return over the same period). The stock's price appreciation alone (excluding dividend reinvestment) was about 276.81% from early Jan 2005 to Feb 2026.

Back in 2021 would it have been considered “cherry-picking?” Frankly, I don’t understand the point of this exercise. If someone is of the opinion that the company is being dramatically undervalued by the market, does it matter what the performance of stock has been, especially during a temporary period of immense disruption? No. The only thing that matters is where the stock is going in the future. “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.”

Just because a stock has overperformed/underperformed in the past doesn’t mean it will continue to do so in the future.

Also, the S&P’s growth has been driven by handful of tech companies whose stock prices are currently soaring due to AI. The rest of the S&P has not been so fortunate, including the firms in the media and entertainment sector. Disney has performed quite well compared to their peers with comparable assets and businesses. If the argument is that the stock’s underperformance versus the S&P 500 demonstrates poor stewardship by Disney’s management, I find the argument utterly unpersuasive.

 

[JoeCamel]

Back in 2021 would it have been considered “cherry-picking?” Frankly, I don’t understand the point of this exercise. If someone is of the opinion that the company is being dramatically undervalued by the market, does it matter what the performance of stock has been, especially during a temporary period of immense disruption? No. The only thing that matters is where the stock is going in the future. “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.”

Just because a stock has overperformed/underperformed in the past doesn’t mean it will continue to do so in the future.

Also, the S&P’s growth has been driven by handful of tech companies whose stock prices are currently soaring due to AI. The rest of the S&P has not been so fortunate, including the firms in the media and entertainment sector. Disney has performed quite well compared to their peers with comparable assets and businesses. If the argument is that the stock’s underperformance versus the S&P 500 demonstrates poor stewardship by Disney’s management, I find the argument utterly unpersuasive.

The point was Bob's tenure did you forget? Bob has handed you a real loss since Covid he should have stayed out of it.

 

[Stripes]

The point was Bob's tenure did you forget? Bob has handed you a real loss since Covid he should have stayed out of it.

Again, if the argument is that the stock’s underperformance versus the S&P demonstrates poor stewardship of the company by Iger, I find it completely unpersuasive.

The vast majority of my Disney shares were purchased less than a year ago, and I’m currently at a 20% return even with today’s decline. I’m not worried. In fact, I’m quite optimistic about the company’s future.

 

[Andrew C]

Again, if the argument is that the stock’s underperformance versus the S&P demonstrates poor stewardship of the company by Iger, I find it completely unpersuasive.

The vast majority of my Disney shares were purchased less than a year ago, and I’m currently at a 20% return even with today’s decline. I’m not worried.

You bought in march/April when they were at their worst. Good job.

 

[JoeCamel]

Again, if the argument is that the stock’s underperformance versus the S&P demonstrates poor stewardship of the company by Iger, I find it completely unpersuasive.

The vast majority of my Disney shares were purchased less than a year ago, and I’m currently at a 20% return even with today’s decline. I’m not worried. In fact, I’m quite optimistic about the company’s future.

You do you Stripes

 

[HMF]

"I'm not wild about the fact that it is so expensive now to go to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. I'm not wild about the fact that it's harder than ever to have everyone be a VIP at a Disney park because they're selling certain things..."

- Michael Eisner

Very candid stuff with this new interview on a variety of a subjects. This is only one small part:

Can we bring him back, please? Partially kidding.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Can we bring him back, please? Partially kidding.

He makes it clear he doesn't miss the stress of the job. Of course he still has opinions on the company, how could he not?

But he knows his time as the company's leader has passed.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

But what I said refers to the stated time period (Bob's tenure) the OP set, you are correct for your time period but that only proves cherry picking can skew results. ~35% per year vs ~15% per year for your example further proving how bad $DIS has been the last 5 years compared to the rest of the market

From AI

From January 2005 to February 2026, investing in the S&P 500 would have provided a significantly higher total return than investing in Disney (DIS).

Investment Comparison (Jan 2005 - Feb 2026)

• S&P 500: A lump-sum investment in an S&P 500 index fund at the beginning of 2005, with all dividends reinvested, would have grown by approximately 757.91% by the end of 2026. This is an annualized return of 10.78%.
• Disney (DIS): The total return for Disney stock from early 2005 to February 2026, with dividends reinvested, was approximately 450-500% (calculated based on an investment in November 2005 vs S&P 500's 454% total return over the same period). The stock's price appreciation alone (excluding dividend reinvestment) was about 276.81% from early Jan 2005 to Feb 2026.

I was going to do a similar comparison when I saw your response, what really struck me looking at the charts is remembering how many of my coworkers panicked and cashed our their 401Ks, IRAs, etc during the 2009 market crash… I’m so glad I just left everything alone, that 13k to 7k crash has turned into a 7k to 50k boom.

 

[JoeCamel]

I was going to do a similar comparison when I saw your response, what really struck me looking at the charts is remembering how many of my coworkers panicked and cashed our their 401Ks, IRAs, etc during the 2009 market crash… I’m so glad I just left everything alone, that 13k to 7k crash has turned into a 7k to 50k boom.

Someone wise said "time in the market is more important than timing the market". A lesson I wish I had learned at a very young age

 

[Dranth]

The point was Bob's tenure did you forget? Bob has handed you a real loss since Covid he should have stayed out of it.

Really? Underperform the market sure, but loss?

The stock, even with the recent drops is higher than the day Iger came back in 2022 or are we grouping Iger and Chapek into one?