Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger looks on prior to the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Michael Reaves | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Disney shares inched higher in pre-market trading on Tuesday morning, as investors focus on who will succeed CEO Bob Iger.
The media giant’s stock edged up 0.14% as of 7:05 a.m. ET. It shed 7% on Monday after reporting before the bell that its experiences division, including theme parks, resorts, and cruises, crossed over $10 billion in quarterly revenue.
The company’s overall revenue was roughly $26 billion, up 5% yearly, and beating Wall Street’s expectations of $25.7 billion.
CEO transition is an ‘overhang’ on shares
The Disney board is meeting this week and is expected to vote on its next CEO, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity about internal matters.
It will be the second time the company has appointed a successor for Iger. His first stint as CEO ended in 2020. Disney picked Bob Chapek to take the top position. But Chapek was fired in late 2022, prompting Iger to return.
Jefferies’ analysts said in a note Monday that “the impending leadership transition remains an overhang on shares, but reports indicate a resolution is imminent.”
In a Monday note, BofA analysts also said succession had “been an overhang on the shares recently.”
Iger said on Monday’s earnings call that “trying to preserve the status quo was a mistake” with Chapek’s appointment, adding that he had “a tremendous amount that needed fixing” when he returned to the role.
He added his successor will be “handed, I think, a good hand in terms of the strength of the company, a number of opportunities to grow and also the expectation that in a world that changes, you also have to continue to change and evolve as well.”
Chair of Disney Experiences Josh D’Amaro is among the top choices to succeed Iger, industry insiders and Disney sources previously told CNBC. Disney’s co-chair of Entertainment, Dana Walden, is also another name in contention.
The BofA analysts said that, given the value of the experiences division to the company’s earnings, the appointment of D’Amaro would be “well received by the investment community.”
