Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Boosts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 16.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,278 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,568 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $7,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DIS. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake 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 worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 148.7% during the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 557 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DIS. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Piper Sandler assumed 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 on the stock. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Six equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $114.90 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $104.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.04. 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 Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The company has a market cap of $208.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict 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 disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.21%.

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.