The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Equitable Trust Co.

Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 16.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,511 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of DIS opened at $109.23 on Tuesday. 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 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.26. The stock has a market cap of $197.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.58, a PEG ratio of 1.95 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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 5.43 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 given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 32.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney 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.