Sciencast Management LP Buys New Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 27,276 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,037,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after acquiring an additional 490,681 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 23.4% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,904,563,000 after buying an additional 2,300,912 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $99.51 on Friday. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $108.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $104.58. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $179.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DIS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.64.

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.