Vest Financial LLC Raises Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 73.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,996 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,507 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,482,309 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,272,590,000 after purchasing an additional 809,989 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,476,693,000 after buying an additional 2,096,431 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $2,415,427,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,904,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,867,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,878,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,016,339 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of DIS opened at $113.95 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $98.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $80.10 and a 52-week high of $118.63. The company has a market cap of $204.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.12, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.49.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 46,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,190,748.04. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.