We recently published a list of the 11 Most Promising Stocks According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) stands against other promising stocks.

On April 23, Stephen Parker, JPMorgan Private Bank co-head of global investment strategy, joined ‘Squawk Box’ on CNBC to express that investors should have a normal level of risk in their portfolios right now. Parker explained that while he is fully in support of remaining invested in the market, he does recommend clients to stay focused on sectors that may be more resilient in a downturn to help protect against losses while staying long. His baseline guidance is for clients to maintain a normal level of risk in their portfolios. Those holding too much cash should get invested, and those overexposed to US markets and the dollar should consider adding non-US exposure. He advised that this is a period where investors must be comfortable with discomfort, as policy uncertainty broadens the range of possible outcomes.

Parker acknowledged that while downside risks are top of mind for many investors, there is also upside potential, especially if there are positive policy surprises, such as clarity on tariffs, which could drive markets back to their highs sooner than expected. His outlook for the S&P 500 index is a wide range, with the high end being flat for the year and a possible range of 5,700-6,200. This reflects heightened policy uncertainty and difficulty in pinpointing a single target. Parker pointed out that even if it takes two years for markets to return to all-time highs, an 8% annual return would still be compelling for equities.  Reflecting on the start of the year, he noted that market multiples were considered rich following 2 consecutive years of 20%+ gains. There was optimism around deregulation and changes to corporate taxes, but few expected the S&P 500 to remain flat for 2 years from a level of 6,200. Parker further explained that even without pro-business policy changes, the market may have faced challenges after such strong recent gains. The pullback in high-performing segments of the US market has brought valuations closer to what he considers normal levels, which also sets the stage for potential upside.

Our Methodology

We sifted through the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of the top stocks that had high analysts’ upside potential (at least 35%). The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their upside potential. We have also added the hedge fund sentiment for each stock, as of Q4 2024, which was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A packed theater of moviegoers watching a blockbuster film produced by the entertainment company.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 108

Average Upside Potential as of April 23: 40.90%

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is an entertainment company with three primary segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. It produces and distributes film and television 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.

Bernstein analysts, led by Laurent Yoon, recently reiterated an Outperform rating on Disney’s stock, while keeping a $120 price target. This sentiment came from the multifaceted nature of the company’s operations, which consist of Linear/Sports, Parks, and streaming segments, with each possessing unique challenges and opportunities.

The company is growing its digital footprint through a partnership with Epic Games. Disney invested $1.5 billion for an equity stake in Epic Games in 2024, which established Disney as a major player in the emerging metaverse space for entertainment and social interaction. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is reducing its 2025 content budget from $24 billion to $23 billion. Meanwhile, management expects high single-digit earnings growth for the full year, following FQ1 2025’s 40% year-over-year earnings jump.

ClearBridge Value Strategy stated the following regarding The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

“While we had already begun to shift toward a more defensive positioning entering the quarter, we made a number of adjustments in response to the rapid-fire developments in both economic and political policy. Among our largest new positions during the period was The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), as we believe that it has turned a corner on building out its streaming service, which should help margins inflect higher and help drive better earnings than the market currently anticipates. The shift in management’s strategy, from “market share growth at all costs” to a more focused approach on improving pricing should also help to improve both profitability and margins, and we believe that there remains meaningful upside compared to other streaming service providers at similar scale.”

Overall, DIS ranks 6th on our list of the most promising stocks according to analysts. While we acknowledge the growth potential of DIS, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DIS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.