Rakuten Securities Inc. Acquires Shares of 5,480 The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,480 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $495,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 149,887,754 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $12,148,402,000 after purchasing an additional 994,575 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 46,172,567 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,011,473,000 after purchasing an additional 5,499,014 shares during the last quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% in the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,859,476 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,014,861,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 109,924.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after purchasing an additional 23,644,765 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DIS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.54.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $113.88. 9,291,419 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,451,374. The company has a market cap of $208.89 billion, a PE ratio of 70.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $78.73 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $113.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.