Investors Buy Large Volume of Walt Disney Call Options (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders purchased 106,784 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 31% compared to the typical volume of 81,656 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on DIS shares. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Prescient Securities cut their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.65.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers Trust Co. lifted its position in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,471 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $386,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 8,732 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $972,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,662 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.5 %

DIS traded down $1.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $111.64. 12,165,050 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,872,238. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $112.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 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 yield of 0.6%. 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.