The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 389,749 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 12,395 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $37,490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farallon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter worth about $355,673,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 12,574.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $329,585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399,359 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 114.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $113.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $104.68 and a 200-day moving average of $98.14. The stock has a market cap of $205.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is owned by 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.