Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Trading 0.8% Higher

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s share price traded up 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $114.50 and last traded at $113.88. 9,291,419 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 10,451,374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $113.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.14. The firm has a market cap of $208.89 billion, a PE ratio of 70.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.52%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,443,502 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $13,673,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555,748 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Walt Disney by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 46,172,567 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,011,473,000 after acquiring an additional 5,499,014 shares in the last quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. grew its position in Walt Disney by 411.6% in the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,663,976,000 after acquiring an additional 26,443,257 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Walt Disney by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,859,476 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,014,861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,384,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 109,924.5% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after buying an additional 23,644,765 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.