Disney Stock Targets Rise Following Disney+ Announcements

Disney stock is carrying heightened expectations after yesterday's Walt Disney Company quarterly earnings call. On the call, Disney CEO Bog Iger confirmed that 26.5 million people have subscribed to the Disney+ streaming service. He also revealed expected release windows for original content from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm's Star Wars brands. As a result, stock analysts are lifting their targets for Disney's stock in 2020. According to The Hollywood Reporter, analysts are raising their targets by $3 to $9. Despite this and a brief rise this morning, Disney stock is currently down against yesterday's value. However, these targets are looking at longer-term considerations than today's numbers alone.

"The launch of Disney+ has been enormously successful, exceeding even our greatest expectations," Iger said during the earnings call. The company expects its new streaming service to turn a profit by 2024. The company also owns a controlling share of Hulu and expects that streaming service to become profitable around the same time.

Disney+'s first hit original program is The Mandalorian. The series take place in the Star Wars universe after the events of Return of the Jedi. It stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter, Din Djarin, and "the Child," the Baby Yoda character that Djarin has palced under his protection. Iger announced the series would return for its second season in October and that spinoffs are a possibility.

Before that, Marvel Studios will bring its first series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, to the platform in August. The series sees Anthony Mackie returning to the role of Sam Wilson as the Falcon tries to walk in Captain America's shoes. He'll be joined by Bucky Barnes, played against by Sebastian Stan. In addition to Sam and Bucky returning, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also sees Emily VanCamp returning as SHIELD agent Sharon Carter and Wyatt Russell debuting as John Walker, aka US Agent. Daniel Bruhl is also set to reprise his role as the villain Baron Zemo.

Marvel will release its second series, WandaVision, in December. Marvel Studios' WandaVision blends the style of classic sitcoms with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

Iger also stated that seven more Marvel series are being worked on for Disney+. Of those, we know about Loki, What If...?, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Hawkeye. The first look at Loki was revealed during this year's Super Bowl.

Are you excited about the future of DIsney+? Let us know what you think in the comments.