The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,924 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 937 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $8,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,471 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 8,732 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Onefund LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $541,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Prescient Securities decreased their price objective on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.64.

Walt Disney Stock Down 3.5 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $108.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $196.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.80. 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 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 24th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 24th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney 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 transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.