Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 0.6%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) shot up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $113.76 and last traded at $113.62. 1,592,294 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 12,156,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on DIS. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.54.

Walt Disney Trading Down 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $207.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $113.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84.

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

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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 transaction of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DIS. 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 worth $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 109,924.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after purchasing an additional 23,644,765 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $1,938,647,000. 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 worth $4,011,473,000 after purchasing an additional 5,499,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ValueAct Holdings L.P. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $459,245,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% 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.