The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by GSB Wealth Management LLC

GSB Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 16.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,318 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 655 shares during the period. GSB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $369,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 3,737 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV grew its stake in Walt Disney by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV now owns 8,313 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $926,000 after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in Walt Disney by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. CX Institutional now owns 9,272 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Investment Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.1 %

DIS opened at $112.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.46 and its 200-day moving average is $100.07. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on DIS shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.52.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.