GEN Financial Management INC. Takes Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

GEN Financial Management INC. purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,871 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Farmers Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Saxon Interests Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,662 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Great Diamond Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 6,105 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $680,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 18,869 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,809,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of DIS opened at $114.10 on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $112.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.66.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. As a group, 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 declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.52.

Walt Disney Company 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.