Empirical Asset Management LLC Has $14.29 Million Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Empirical Asset Management LLC increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 1,078.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 128,294 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 117,408 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $14,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Birch Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.6 %

DIS traded up $0.61 on Friday, reaching $107.07. 7,103,097 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,849,092. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $111.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.62.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney's payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on DIS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target 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. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.54.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Walt Disney

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.