The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA lessened its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,194 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 5,032 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $3,696,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 9,756 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 5,048.0% in the fourth quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 107,119 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $11,928,000 after buying an additional 1,480 shares during the period. Xcel Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 35,712 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after buying an additional 6,027 shares during the period. Finally, Providence First Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of DIS opened at $113.82 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.23. The stock has a market cap of $205.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

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 return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Prescient Securities cut their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

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.