The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Holdings Cut by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc cut its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 517,461 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 126,556 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $57,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $224,000. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 83.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 39,427 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $4,390,000 after acquiring an additional 17,910 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conscious Wealth Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 6,338 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS stock traded up $2.24 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $112.77. The stock had a trading volume of 3,244,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,051,681. The company has a market cap of $203.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a 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 is currently 32.57%.

Walt Disney 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.