Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Barchart
Barchart
Kritika Sarmah

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is a global media and entertainment company with a market cap of $66.5 billion. The New York-based company operates a diverse portfolio of iconic content and brands, spanning film, television, streaming, and sports. Its assets include Warner Bros. Studios, HBO and HBO Max, CNN, Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Cartoon Network, and DC Entertainment, among others.

Shares of the global entertainment powerhouse have seen a sharp rise over the past year. WBD has jumped 212.2% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 29.8%. However, in 2026, the stock has pulled back, falling 6.9%, trailing the SPX’s 4.8% rise. 

 

Compared to its sector, the Invesco Leisure and Entertainment ETF (PEJ) has gained 26.2% over the past year and is down marginally this year, showing that WBD’s performance has been much stronger over the long term but weaker more recently.

www.barchart.com

WBD has outpaced the broader market over the past year, driven primarily by improving sentiment around its turnaround execution. Progress on cost rationalization, debt reduction, and a clearer path to streaming profitability has helped rebuild investor confidence, even as near-term operating performance remains uneven.

For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect WBD to report a loss of $0.10 per share on a diluted basis, down 134.5% from the previous year. The company’s earnings surprise history is mixed. It beat the consensus estimate in only one of the last four quarters, while missing the forecast in the other three. 

Among the 23 analysts covering WBD stock, the consensus is a “Hold.” That’s based on two “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” 18 “Holds,” and two “Strong Sells.”

www.barchart.com

This consensus is bearish than two months ago when the stock had an overall “Moderate Buy” rating. 

On Mar. 9, Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall reinstated coverage on Warner Bros. Discovery with an “Equal-Weight” rating and a $31 price target, reflecting a neutral view on the stock’s current positioning.

WBD’s mean price target of $29.10 implies a premium of 8.5% from current market prices, the Street-high price target of $31.25 suggests an ambitious upside potential of 16.5%.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.