The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,610,000 shares, a decline of 8.9% from the January 15th total of 19,340,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 9,640,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company's shares are short sold.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.7 %

DIS stock traded down $0.83 during trading on Thursday, hitting $110.52. 5,963,402 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,224,447. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $110.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.00, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.42. Walt Disney 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.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney's payout ratio is currently 32.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Six investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.85.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tacita Capital Inc lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Tacita Capital Inc now owns 257 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Company 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.