Winch Advisory Services LLC Grows Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,489 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,565,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 67.3% in the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 6,486 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 2,610 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter worth approximately $2,241,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,395 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,131,000 after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 9.5% during the second quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,280 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $108.12 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $111.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.51. The stock has a market cap of $195.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Loop Capital upped their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

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.