Van ECK Associates Corp Raises Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 114.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $414,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 153,769,084 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $18,815,185,000 after buying an additional 2,325,582 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,883,983 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,477,831,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449,730 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Walt Disney by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,417,958,000 after acquiring an additional 425,438 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 1st quarter worth about $1,490,492,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Walt Disney by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,040,297 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,473,252,000 after purchasing an additional 293,482 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $95.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $173.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $93.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $81.82 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.19. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $23.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $118.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Calvin Mcdonald acquired 11,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $85.06 per share, for a total transaction of $999,965.36. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,897,943.78. This trade represents a 100.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.