NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2025, 1:43 p.m. ET — Market closed
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) heads into the final trading days of 2025 with U.S. markets closed for the weekend and investors balancing two forces that can matter a lot for Disney shares in the near term: a macro backdrop that’s still supportive of risk assets, and a company narrative increasingly tied to how Disney monetizes its intellectual property in a streaming-first—and now AI-assisted—media economy.
Disney stock last closed at $113.56 on Friday, Dec. 26, down about 0.8% on the day. [1]
Disney stock price recap: What happened in the last session
Disney’s decline on Friday stood out enough to be cited as one of the notable drags on the Dow Jones Industrial Average during a quiet, post-holiday session. [2]
That kind of move doesn’t necessarily signal new, company-specific trouble—late-December trading often features lighter volume, portfolio rebalancing, and quick, index-driven swings. But it does frame Monday’s open: with markets reopening on Dec. 29, investors will be watching whether Disney’s dip was simply “year-end noise,” or whether the stock is starting to react more sensitively to broader market positioning and headline risk.
The macro setup matters for Disney: Stocks near highs, but year-end moves can amplify swings
Broadly, U.S. equities have been finishing 2025 near record levels, with investors watching whether the market can cap the year with another push higher—along with how leadership rotates beyond mega-cap tech. In a Reuters “Week Ahead” preview, Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser and market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management, said momentum remains with the bulls, barring an external shock. [3]
At the same time, the same report flagged two themes that can impact stocks like Disney—especially in thin trading:
- Fed policy expectations (and what the next set of information reveals about the path of rate cuts), and
- year-end portfolio adjustments, which can exaggerate moves when liquidity is light. [4]
Reuters also highlighted that investors are focused on the coming Federal Reserve meeting minutes and the debate around how many rate cuts might arrive next year. Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede, told Reuters the minutes could be “illuminating” in understanding arguments inside the Fed. [5]
For Disney, this macro context matters because DIS often trades like a blend of:
- a consumer discretionary name (parks, cruises, experiences),
- a media/advertising name (linear networks), and
- a streaming/tech-adjacent name (direct-to-consumer).
When markets are driven by rates, growth expectations, and sector rotation, Disney can get pulled in multiple directions.
Disney and OpenAI: The catalyst Wall Street keeps revisiting
Within Disney-specific headlines over the last 24–48 hours, one theme continues to echo: Disney’s relationship with OpenAI.
Reuters, in a broader roundup about companies spending heavily to advance AI infrastructure and capabilities, again pointed to Disney’s $1 billion investment in OpenAI and the associated licensing arrangement as a notable AI-era move by a legacy media company. [6]
That’s not a new announcement—but it’s a reminder that Disney’s strategy is being watched as part of the wider “AI + media” trade, alongside chipmakers and platforms.
What Disney has said the OpenAI agreement includes
Disney and OpenAI publicly described their partnership as including:
- a $1 billion equity investment by Disney in OpenAI, plus warrants for additional equity, and
- Disney becoming a major customer of OpenAI, using APIs for products, tools, and experiences (including for Disney+), and deploying ChatGPT internally. [7]
Reuters’ report on the deal also noted that, under the licensing arrangement, OpenAI’s tools would be able to generate content using licensed Disney characters starting early next year, while excluding talent likenesses or voices—an important line given the entertainment industry’s sensitivity to AI and labor concerns. [8]
Disney CEO Bob Iger framed the partnership around extending storytelling with generative AI while protecting creators. [9]
Why it matters for Disney stock now
For investors, the OpenAI relationship can impact Disney stock in three practical ways:
- Narrative and valuation support
Disney has long traded at the intersection of IP and distribution. If investors believe AI can expand how Disney creates, localizes, personalizes, and distributes IP-driven experiences, the stock can benefit from a “platform premium” mindset. - Cost and speed of production
Even marginal improvements in production workflows, marketing creative, localization, and personalization tools could matter at Disney’s scale—especially as the company balances high content budgets with profitability targets. - Risk: IP control and backlash
The flip side is that AI partnerships increase investor scrutiny around IP integrity, brand control, and potential backlash from creators and audiences—factors that can swing sentiment quickly even without near-term revenue impact.
Forecasts and analyst outlook: Where Wall Street sees DIS over the next 12 months
Analyst targets remain generally constructive, though not unanimous.
MarketBeat’s compiled analyst data shows:
- a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”, and
- an average 12‑month price target around $134.41 (with a cited range that includes higher and lower targets). [10]
Another aggregation, StockAnalysis, lists an average target of $135.06 and a “Strong Buy” consensus (based on its tracked analyst set). [11]
Taken together, these views imply that—based on Friday’s close—many analysts still see mid-to-high teens upside over a 12‑month horizon, even as Disney works through structural challenges in linear TV and an intensely competitive streaming environment.
Fundamentals snapshot: What Disney is selling—and where performance is tracked
Disney remains a diversified entertainment company, with Reuters describing its operating structure across Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. [12]
On the financial side, Reuters’ company data shows Disney posted $94.425 billion in revenue for 2025 and $12.404 billion in net income (as presented on Reuters’ company financials view). [13]
And in streaming, Reuters reported that Disney ended fiscal 2025 with 196 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, up 12.4 million from the year-ago period—an indicator closely watched by investors assessing scale, churn, and long-term pricing power. [14]
Key dates: What to know before the next session and into early 2026
Next trading session: Monday, Dec. 29
U.S. equities are closed today for the weekend. The next regular session begins Monday, Dec. 29.
Holiday calendar: what’s open and what’s closed
Nasdaq’s 2025 holiday schedule confirms the major December closures (including the Dec. 25 market holiday and the Dec. 24 early close), while normal sessions resume afterward. [15]
Looking to the week ahead, Investopedia noted the coming stretch is holiday-shortened due to New Year’s Day and that the week includes key macro releases (and Fed minutes), while stock markets operate a normal schedule on New Year’s Eve. [16]
Disney earnings: early February, but watch for confirmation
Multiple market calendars currently point to early February 2026 for Disney’s next earnings release, but the exact date varies by source:
- Nasdaq lists an estimated earnings date of Feb. 4, 2026. [17]
- WallStreetHorizon shows Feb. 4, 2026 (unconfirmed), before market. [18]
- Other calendars differ—Investing.com, for example, lists a later date in February. [19]
Because dates can shift, investors typically treat these as placeholders until Disney confirms timing through its Investor Relations channels. [20]
What investors should watch before Monday’s open
With the exchange closed today, here are the practical items that could shape Disney stock once trading resumes:
- Any fresh AI headlines tied to media IP
Disney’s OpenAI partnership remains a high-sensitivity story for sentiment. Even headlines about how other studios respond to AI can spill over into DIS. [21] - Rate-cut expectations and Fed minutes risk
Macro narratives can dominate thin year-end markets. Reuters highlighted that Fed minutes and positioning could drive volatility—conditions that can move index-heavy names like Disney even without new company news. [22] - Year-end flows and low liquidity
When volumes are light, price moves can look more dramatic than the underlying news flow would justify—meaning Monday’s early action may be more about positioning than fundamentals. [23] - Earnings-date clarity
If Disney or major calendars update earnings timing, that can influence options positioning and short-term trading behavior—particularly after the holiday lull. [24]
Bottom line
Disney stock enters the last stretch of 2025 with markets closed today, shares recently drifting lower, and investors focused on a familiar set of Disney questions—streaming economics, parks resilience, and ESPN’s long-term trajectory—plus a newer one: how Disney’s IP monetization evolves in an AI-driven content landscape.
As trading resumes Monday, DIS may be pulled as much by the market’s rate-and-rotation story as by Disney-specific headlines, especially in a low-volume, year-end tape. [25]
References
1. www.nasdaq.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. thewaltdisneycompany.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. stockanalysis.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.nasdaqtrader.com, 16. www.investopedia.com, 17. www.nasdaq.com, 18. www.wallstreethorizon.com, 19. www.investing.com, 20. thewaltdisneycompany.com, 21. www.reuters.com, 22. www.reuters.com, 23. www.reuters.com, 24. thewaltdisneycompany.com, 25. www.reuters.com
