Rep. Debbie Dingell Buys The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares

Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) recently bought shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS). In a filing disclosed on January 27th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Walt Disney stock on January 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC IRA” account.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $113.08 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $204.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.73, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter worth $32,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on DIS shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

About Representative Dingell

Debbie Dingell (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Michigan’s 6th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Dingell (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan’s 6th Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Dingell was born in Detroit, Michigan, and attended high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. Dingell went on to attend Georgetown University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign service in 1975 and a master’s degree in liberal studies in 1996.

Dingell worked for General Motors Corporation (GM) for over 30 years, serving as president of the GM Foundation and as a senior executive handing public affairs. She also served as chairwoman of the Manufacturing Initiative at the American Automotive Policy Council.

Her first elected position was to Wayne State University’s Board of Governors, when Dingell was elected to serve an eight-year term in 2006. She was also appointed to positions with the Early Childhood Investment Corporation and the Cherry Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth by former Governor Jennifer Granholm.

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.