Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) EVP Brent Woodford Sells 6,474 Shares of Company Stock

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) EVP Brent Woodford sold 6,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.98, for a total value of $724,958.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 62,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,054,180.10. This represents a 9.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Brent Woodford also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, October 16th, Brent Woodford sold 2,856 shares of Walt Disney stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.68, for a total value of $318,958.08.
• On Thursday, October 8th, Brent Woodford sold 3,618 shares of Walt Disney stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total value of $381,011.58.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Brent Woodford sold 3,618 shares of Walt Disney stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.13, for a total value of $387,596.34.
• On Friday, August 14th, Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of Walt Disney stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total value of $762,233.78.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $114.19 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $103.59. The stock has a market cap of $197.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.54, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.44. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $92.18 and a 52 week high of $117.09.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $25.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.39 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 8.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.16.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 13,660 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Team Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Eads & Heald Wealth Management increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 8.2% during the third quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 10,046 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,054,000 after buying an additional 758 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 13.7% during the third quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,467 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney and WWE expanded their partnership, including a planned two-day event at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World. The deal could bring additional event activity and audiences to Disney’s resort and sports properties. Disney, WWE Ink Expanded Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Disney is considering thousands of job cuts, with some managers reportedly asked to find savings of up to 20%. If executed without impairing operations, lower expenses could support profitability; CEO Josh D’Amaro reportedly intends to reinvest some savings in content, parks and cruises. Disney plans several thousand layoffs, asks some managers to cut costs by up to 20%
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Brent Woodford sold 6,474 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and retained 62,995 shares. The planned nature of the transaction makes it a limited signal about his view of Disney’s near-term prospects. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: The scale of the reported layoffs and broad cost-reduction targets may raise concerns about execution, employee disruption and whether cuts could affect creative output or guest experience. The savings and reinvestment plan is not yet detailed. Disney eyes thousands of layoffs, managers asked to cut 20% in costs

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is a global entertainment and media company that develops, produces and distributes branded content through film studios, television networks and streaming services. Its portfolio includes Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other entertainment brands, with distribution through services such as Disney+ and Hulu.

Disney also operates ESPN and related sports media businesses, as well as theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and vacation experiences.