Short Interest in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Decreases By 6.2%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,550,000 shares, a decline of 6.2% from the December 15th total of 20,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,150,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock traded up $0.61 during trading on Friday, hitting $107.07. 7,103,097 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,534,095. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.69. The firm has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.54.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 8.4% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,420,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,001,454,000 after buying an additional 114,701 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $15,687,000 after buying an additional 13,339 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 476.0% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,125,000. 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.