New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 53,569 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,529,938 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 53,569 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.08% of Walt Disney worth $170,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $109.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.67. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $198.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 32.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on DIS shares. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.85.

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.