The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Altfest L J & Co. Inc.

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,746 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 204 shares during the period. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Trian Fund Management L.P. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 411.6% in the third quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 109,924.5% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after acquiring an additional 23,644,765 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $1,433,075,000. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 46,172,567 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,011,473,000 after acquiring an additional 5,499,014 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $326,171,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total value of $80,918.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,694.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $116.64.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:DIS traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $120.38. 5,682,726 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,443,839. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $220.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.65, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.41. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $78.73 and a 52-week high of $122.03. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.07.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Walt Disney’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.62 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

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.