ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Grows Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,796 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 302 shares during the quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. First PREMIER Bank lifted its position in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. Birch Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter worth about $57,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:DIS traded down $1.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.35. 3,006,923 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,975,758. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.98, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $110.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.40. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.