Certuity LLC Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Certuity LLC grew its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,265 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,896 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,588,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. David Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $483,000. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 7,150 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Strategic Wealth Guidance now owns 3,455 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Republic Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. New Republic Capital LLC now owns 2,575 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $109.01 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $101.39. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $197.06 billion, a PE ratio of 35.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

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.