Wendell David Associates Inc. Reduces Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Wendell David Associates Inc. cut its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,880 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Birch Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DIS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim lifted their target price 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. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Loop Capital raised 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $108.86 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.35 and its 200 day moving average is $99.83. The company has a market cap of $197.14 billion, a PE ratio of 40.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 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. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly 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. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side 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. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. 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 is presently 36.90%.

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.