QRG Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 145,858 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 4,319 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $16,241,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $259,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,146 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $907,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt grew its position in Walt Disney by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt now owns 3,569,400 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $397,667,000 after buying an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 4,496.8% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 680,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $75,749,000 after buying an additional 665,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 18,571 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,068,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on DIS shares. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $111.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.16. The company has a market cap of $201.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.