Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $4.03 Million Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,161 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 4,596 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Walt Disney by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 21,366 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,055,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185 shares during the period. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Walt Disney by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 37,123 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 8,180 shares during the period. Saratoga Research & Investment Management lifted its position in Walt Disney by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Saratoga Research & Investment Management now owns 1,536,008 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $147,749,000 after buying an additional 242,675 shares in the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at $660,000. Finally, Boyar Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.7% in the third quarter. Boyar Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,280 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,201,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on DIS. UBS Group lowered their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Prescient Securities dropped their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.48.

Walt Disney Trading Up 3.3 %

NYSE:DIS traded up $2.74 on Thursday, hitting $85.51. 7,908,967 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,808,824. 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 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $118.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.44. The company's 50-day moving average price is $100.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.52.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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.