The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the target of a large drop in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,550,000 shares, a drop of 6.2% from the December 15th total of 20,850,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 9,150,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $107.07. The company had a trading volume of 7,103,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,534,095. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.70. The stock has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted 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 return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. 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 previous year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 36.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DIS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.54.

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.