Sentry Investment Management LLC Purchases 3,360 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 87.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,219 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after purchasing an additional 3,360 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $804,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $7,463,978,000 after purchasing an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,609,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 8.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $1,332,297,000 after purchasing an additional 454,678 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS traded up $1.34 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $111.87. 5,802,819 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,120,039. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $110.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.92. The company has a market cap of $202.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Prescient Securities lowered their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.44.

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.