Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. Sells 208 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. cut its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,149 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 208 shares during the quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $239,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth $57,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth about $64,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $110.90. 6,178,896 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,252,820. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $109.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.15. The firm has a market cap of $200.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.58.

Walt Disney Company Profile

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.