The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Bought by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 644,562 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after purchasing an additional 23,677 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $71,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Walt Disney by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 107,880 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $10,377,000 after acquiring an additional 4,878 shares during the last quarter. Ledyard National Bank raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.9% in the third quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 6,300 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 96.2% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 109,697 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $10,552,000 after purchasing an additional 53,796 shares during the period. Eastern Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 293.8% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 30,409 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,925,000 after purchasing an additional 22,687 shares during the period. Finally, Liberty Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Walt Disney by 4.6% in the third quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,628 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock traded down $1.93 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $108.62. The stock had a trading volume of 6,796,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,156,659. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $110.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.34. The company has a market cap of $196.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Macquarie restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.85.

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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company's stock, 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 at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.