Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 135,832 shares of the entertainment giant's stock, valued at approximately $15,125,000.
Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 67.3% during the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 6,486 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 2,610 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 12.5% in the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,395 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.2% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 356,820 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $35,429,000 after purchasing an additional 4,256 shares in the last quarter. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 333.0% in the 2nd quarter. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC now owns 7,802 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Finally, Middleton & Co. Inc. MA increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA now owns 38,898 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,862,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms have weighed in on DIS. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Raymond James reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.54.
Read Our Latest Research Report on DIS
Walt Disney Stock Performance
Shares of DIS stock traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $107.07. 7,102,523 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,848,608. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.51, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $111.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.62.
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.
Walt Disney Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.
Insider Activity at Walt Disney
In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.
About Walt Disney
(
Free Report)
The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.
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