We recently published a list of 10 Cheap Blue Chip Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) stands against other cheap blue chip stocks to buy according to hedge funds.
The broad-based market anxiety increased as the US policy uncertainty rose, says Fidelity. The financial markets were weighed down by tariff hikes, deregulation, and tighter immigration policies. The global business cycle is now less synchronized. As per the investment management firm, the US seemed to show mid- and late-cycle dynamics in Q1 2025. Furthermore, the diversification across fixed income and non-US assets is of utmost importance amid growth risks. While the gold and commodities gained, the US dollar decline fueled the non-US equities, says Fidelity.
Amidst US Policy Uncertainty, Diversification Remains Critical
As per Fidelity, the uncertainty regarding the direction of US policy impacted the financial markets during Q1, with investors digesting the news related to executive actions, such as tariff increases, deregulation announcements, reduced government staffing and programs, and tougher immigration activities. Also, the worries related to the economic effects of the tariff increases on the global economy saw an increase during the days after the quarter closed. Despite elevated growth risks, the global expansion was intact as of the close of Q1. Fidelity opines that diversification in fixed income assets and non-US assets is essential.
As per the investment manager, the S&P 500 Index delivered a return of −4.3% for Q1 2025, partly because of the performance of growth stocks (−10%). On the other hand, gold (+19%) and commodities (+8.9%) saw robust gains amid higher market uncertainty.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
Investors’ Approach Amidst Fluctuating Economic Indicators
According to Fidelity, the consumer inflation remained rangebound at ~3% during Q1, which was well above the 2% target of the US Fed. The firm anticipates sticky inflation around 3% for the next year, with upside risk resulting from tariff increases. As per the firm, the consumer inflation expectations have increased to multi-decade highs, making it simpler for businesses to pass the increased costs. Coming to the labor, it has remained tight so far, despite increased policy uncertainty, government layoffs, and federal funding cuts, says Fidelity. On the supply side, the broader labor force participation has stalled below the pre-pandemic rate due to slowing immigration as well as demographic constraints.
As per Marci McGregor, Head of Portfolio Strategy (Chief Investment Office), Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank, the next few months can be a good time to play defense. The investors can consider defensive, dividend-paying, and value-oriented stocks. For the long term, the investors can position themselves for when the uncertainty around trade decreases. The volatility can provide a chance to buy assets supporting the long-term strategy at attractive prices, says McGregor.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Cheap Blue Chip Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds, we scanned the holdings of the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and chose companies that trade at a forward P/E of less than ~20.0x. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiments around each stock, as of Q4 2024. Finally, the stocks were arranged in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiments.
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.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 108
Forward P/E as of April 18: ~15.4x
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) operates as an entertainment company. Wolf Research upped the company’s stock to ‘Outperform’ from ‘Peer Perform,’ highlighting durable strengths in its core businesses even during broader worries related to recession. The firm lauded The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s long-term advantages throughout its theme parks, cruise lines, and streaming operations. Analyst Peter Supino of Wolfe Research opines that, in the entertainment business, the company can gain from the measures to restrict the practice of password sharing.
Furthermore, the analyst expects tailwinds from linear TV’s decline and streaming bundles. The analyst opines that The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s experiences business can benefit from launches of new cruise ships as well as updates to its theme parks. The company’s diverse content portfolio, consisting of strong franchises, offers a robust foundation for fueling streaming subscriber growth. Several of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s franchises have global popularity, aiding international expansion of the streaming services. Therefore, by effectively using its content portfolio throughout the streaming platforms, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) possesses the potential to grow its subscriber base, drive engagement, and reduce churn.
ClearBridge Investments, an investment management company, released its Q1 2025 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“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 2nd on our list of cheap blue chip stocks to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential of DIS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher 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 a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than DIS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this 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.
