Whipplewood Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 3,308 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $368,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.44.

Insider Activity

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

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:DIS opened at $111.82 on Thursday. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $110.64 and its 200 day moving average is $103.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.14 billion, a PE ratio of 36.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.57%.

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.