Diversify Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,601 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 7,139 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $3,107,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after purchasing an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,609,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,082 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,417,958,000 after acquiring an additional 425,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,332,297,000 after purchasing an additional 454,678 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on DIS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on 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 assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.54.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.6 %

DIS stock traded up $0.61 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $107.07. The company had a trading volume of 7,103,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,534,095. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.70.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.