Aspire Private Capital LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Aspire Private Capital LLC increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 408.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,506 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,620 shares during the quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. First PREMIER Bank grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.6 %

DIS stock opened at $108.72 on Wednesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $112.20 and its 200 day moving average is $99.76. The company has a market capitalization of $196.89 billion, a PE ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 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. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.54.

Walt Disney 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.