Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. Lowers Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc. decreased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,555 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. Prentiss Smith & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Birch Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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 note on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.52.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $112.95. The company had a trading volume of 653,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,995,297. The company’s 50-day moving average is $112.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.33. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $204.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

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.