Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 153,416,274 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 1,807,688 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of Walt Disney worth $17,082,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $358,151,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $350,707,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,904,563,000 after buying an additional 2,300,912 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $99.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $104.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DIS. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Prescient Securities cut their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.64.

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.