Townsend & Associates Inc Raises Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Townsend & Associates Inc raised its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 3.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,164 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 5,458 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $14,067,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beta Wealth Group Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 7.2% in the third quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. now owns 56,808 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $5,464,000 after purchasing an additional 3,822 shares during the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 75.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 7,296 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares in the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 6.2% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 12,145 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Windward Capital Management Co. CA raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.8% in the third quarter. Windward Capital Management Co. CA now owns 170,066 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $16,359,000 after acquiring an additional 2,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.4% during the third quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 87,667 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $8,433,000 after purchasing an additional 8,236 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $136.00 to $116.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Macquarie decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $94.00 to $91.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $118.05.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $99.02. 7,982,113 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,450,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.58 billion, a PE ratio of 38.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $93.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.05.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.19. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 5.30%. The firm had revenue of $23.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.