Hickory Point Bank & Trust Purchases Shares of 10,436 The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,436 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,162,000. Walt Disney comprises about 1.0% of Hickory Point Bank & Trust’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,904,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300,912 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Walt Disney by 114.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 112.0% during the 3rd 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 currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” 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 two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.44.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $113.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.35. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a market cap of $205.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 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 given 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 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.