The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 90,124 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 6,982 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $10,035,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DIS. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Loop Capital upped 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. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Prescient Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS stock opened at $113.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.08, 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. 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 firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid 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 was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 32.57%.

About Walt Disney

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.