The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,550,000 shares, an increase of 10.1% from the May 31st total of 17,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 10,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.6 %

DIS traded up $0.62 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $98.61. 5,028,494 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,481,450. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $78.73 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $104.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $104.81. The stock has a market cap of $179.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 107.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.12 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 1.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on DIS shares. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director James P. Gorman acquired 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 355.3% in the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.