Alesco Advisors LLC Sells 198 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Alesco Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,616 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 198 shares during the quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. DJE Kapital AG bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,799,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 53,263 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $5,952,000 after acquiring an additional 4,972 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,920,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 312,677 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,817,000 after acquiring an additional 52,748 shares during the period. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 106,274 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $11,834,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted 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. Six equities 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.com, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $113.82 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $110.68 and a 200-day moving average of $103.48. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. 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 company has a market cap of $205.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued 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 net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, equities research 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 declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 32.57%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.