The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 24.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,750 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,500 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $5,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Birch Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.8 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $113.08 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.33. 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 stock has a market cap of $204.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.52.

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.