Valmark Advisers Inc. Acquires 1,572 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,007 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,572 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Farmers Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM grew its stake in Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM now owns 4,539 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Diamond Partners LLC grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 transaction of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of DIS stock opened at $110.31 on Monday. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $199.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $111.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.85. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. Research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DIS. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

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.