The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Purchased by Townsend & Associates Inc

Townsend & Associates Inc lifted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,641 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 3,477 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney makes up approximately 1.7% of Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $16,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $6,420,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $15,687,000 after acquiring an additional 13,339 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 476.0% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 85,187 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $9,486,000 after purchasing an additional 9,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DIS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital upped their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.44.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS traded up $1.29 on Wednesday, hitting $111.82. The company had a trading volume of 7,827,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,181,174. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $110.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.92. The company has a market capitalization of $202.14 billion, a PE ratio of 36.42, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

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%. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

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. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.