Asset Dedication LLC Sells 8,711 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Asset Dedication LLC trimmed its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,977 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 8,711 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its position 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 valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $112.26 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.33. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

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.