The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Wealthgarden F.S. LLC

Wealthgarden F.S. LLC reduced its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 82.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,688 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 12,747 shares during the period. Wealthgarden F.S. LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jennison Associates LLC grew 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 worth $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after buying an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 114.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $398,508,000 after buying an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,609,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock traded up $1.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $111.82. The company had a trading volume of 7,827,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,181,265. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $202.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $110.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.92.

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 for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DIS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Prescient Securities dropped their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six research 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was 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 directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.