If Walt Disney(NYSE: DIS) investors are going to beat the market — something that they have done once (barely) in the last five years — they have some ground to make up. Shares of Disney declined 0.9% in January, lagging the S&P 500’s 1.4% gain.
There will be a couple of opportunities for Disney to shine despite this being the shortest month of the year. It all starts on Groundhog Day, when Disney offers up its fiscal first-quarter results. The rest of the month will have a hard time matching that needle-moving moment, but there’s never a dull moment when it comes to Disney stock. Let’s take a look at some key dates that investors should watch closely in February.
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Image source: Disney.
In a rare move, Disney is releasing its financial results on a Monday morning. Quarterly performances move stocks, but it’s not the only thing that the House of Mouse could have up its white rodent glove. Disney’s board has been saying for some time that it expects to announce CEO Bob Iger’s replacement in early 2026.
Adding fuel to the fire that settling on Iger’s heir apparent is coming soon, sources are telling the New York Times that Disney’s next CEO could be announced by the board in the next few days. The frontrunners are internal executives led by Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro and co-chair of Disney Entertainment Dana Walden.
There is also the possibility that Disney divulges opening timelines for some of its previously announced theme park expansion plans. Also hanging in the air is the fate of the next two Avatar films. Avatar: The Way of Water was a financial blockbuster released over the holidays, but the third entry in the series fell well short of the hauls of the two previous installments. Director James Cameron has suggested that he would turn his attention elsewhere if the third film were a disappointment at the box office.
There will be financial numbers to consider, too, of course. Shares of rival Comcast(NASDAQ: CMCSA) jumped 5% in the final two trading days of last week — as the market retreated — after posting well-received financial results. Comcast saw a big jump at its theme parks, fueled by last year’s springtime opening of Epic Universe in Orlando. Its Peacock streaming business continues to be a drag on the bottom line, coughing up $700 million in negative earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) for all of 2025.
Things are the other way around for Disney. Its streaming operations have been thriving since turning profitable in fiscal 2024. It remains to be seen whether the success of Epic Universe is weighing on nearby Disney World. Analysts expect revenue and earnings per share to rise 4% and decline 10%, respectively, in the fiscal first quarter.
Disney has always had a lukewarm relationship since acquiring rights to the Muppets franchise 22 years ago. It closed down its long-running Muppet*Vision 3D attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in June of last year, only to eventually announce that the characters will replace Aerosmith as the stars of the resort’s only looping rollercoaster later this year.
There have been a few movies and reboots of its iconic TV show, and it’s going back to the well of the latter. The Muppet Show returns to ABC and Disney+ on Wednesday. Seth Rogen and Sabrina Carpenter will be guests on the franchise’s attempted return. Where will it go from here? Kermit the Frog probably says it best in the trailer announcing the new comedic and musical event.
“It’s the return of The Muppet Show! We are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and is maybe starting again depending on how tonight goes!”
There is always something happening at Disney’s growing theme park empire. At Disney World — the media stock’s largest resort — it’s time for the annual water park swap. It closes its Typhoon Lagoon gated attraction on Valentine’s Day for routine maintenance and refurbishment. It reopens Blizzard Beach the following day. Both parks will be open during the peak summer season.
A bigger closure happens early this week. Disney’s DinoLand U.S.A. will permanently close on Feb. 2. It will reopen next year as Tropical Americas, featuring an Indiana Jones ride and the first dark ride themed to 2021’s animated feature Encanto. Its Frozen Ever After boat ride at EPCOT is also set to reopen later in February after updating some of the attraction’s animatronics. It’s never a small, small world for Disney’s theme park business. Investors will be watching.
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Rick Munarriz has positions in Comcast and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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