HTLF Bank Makes New $444,000 Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

HTLF Bank purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,921 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Trian Fund Management L.P. grew 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 valued at $2,663,976,000 after buying an additional 26,443,257 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 109,924.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 23,644,765 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,433,075,000. Morgan Stanley increased its stake 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 valued at $4,011,473,000 after acquiring an additional 5,499,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the third quarter worth $326,171,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS stock opened at $112.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $206.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.52%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.