Stonebridge Capital Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Stonebridge Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 28,898 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney makes up about 1.3% of Stonebridge Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Stonebridge Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $3,218,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 18,489 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 7,356 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $819,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2,894.3% in the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 5,210 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 5,036 shares during the period. HCR Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 19,694 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,193,000 after buying an additional 1,368 shares during the period. Finally, Brave Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Brave Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,591 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on DIS. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

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 on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $108.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $111.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.51. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. 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.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

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.