The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 40.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,257,340 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after purchasing an additional 651,004 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.12% of Walt Disney worth $251,355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DIS. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $358,151,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $350,707,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,904,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300,912 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, Prescient Securities dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.64.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS stock traded down $0.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $100.45. The company had a trading volume of 6,595,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,479,641. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $181.59 billion, a PE ratio of 32.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41.

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

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.