Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. Boosts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,943 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. First PREMIER Bank increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DIS. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $107.07 on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. Walt Disney’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. As a group, equities 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 announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by 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.