Disney just released a TON of new information and big announcements, and one of those announcements is good news for shareholders!

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

The Walt Disney Company held its 2024 Q1 Earnings Call and released its Earnings Report on February 7th, 2024. We learned some big news, like when the Moana sequel will come out and how Bob Iger’s #1 priority is actually doing. In addition, Disney provided an important update on its plans for the next dividend payouts.

On February 7th, Disney declared a cash dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents an increase of 50% compared to the last dividend paid in January!

This dividend will be paid on July 25th, 2024, to “shareholders of record at the close of business on July 8th, 2024.”

Walt Disney Company Headquarters ©LA Times

A dividend is when a company pays back its shareholders a certain percentage of the cost of their shares, generally to inspire confidence in the company, show that things are going well, share profits with loyal shareholders, and entice new investors to pay in.

Disney’s shareholders have received lots of big news lately, as the company is currently dealing with not one but TWO proxy battles. Nelson Peltz’s Trian Group is vying for spots on the Board of Directors, as is investment firm Blackwells Capital.

©New York Times Nelson Peltz of Trian Partners

Both groups have proposed changes at Disney. For example, Blackwells Capital wants Disney to separate its owned real estate into independent publicly listed real estate investment trusts, or “a series of investment vehicles in which the shares, cash and/or interests could be distributed to shareholders.” They believe that the company “may simply be too complex for any one successor to Mr. Iger to manage holistically.”

Peltz has proposed that Disney should bundle ESPN+ with Netflix, although this recommendation may be largely obsolete as Disney just announced a new sports streaming platform with Warner Bros. and Fox.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

Shareholders can vote during the shareholder meeting on April 3rd. Disney has released their own recommendations for the Board of Directors, and they’ve even created a cartoon to direct shareholders to vote for their recommendations.

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on the latest Disney news!

Learn more about Disney’s proxy battles here.

What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments.