Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,900 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 5,955 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farmers Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 18,869 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,809,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connable Office Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 0.3% in the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 35,048 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,371,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company's stock.
Walt Disney Trading Up 0.6 %
Shares of NYSE:DIS traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, hitting $107.07. 7,103,097 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,534,095. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $112.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.69. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The firm has a market cap 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 current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued 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. 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 company posted $0.82 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.
Walt Disney Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.90%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
DIS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.54.
View Our Latest Stock Report on DIS
Insider Transactions at Walt Disney
In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 owns 44,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
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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