The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC reduced its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 62,233 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 880 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $6,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Farmers Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,662 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM now owns 4,539 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Diamond Partners LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 6,105 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $110.83 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $111.87 and a 200-day moving average of $101.14. The company has a market capitalization of $200.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.10, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share 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 issued 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 was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. 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 ninety days. Insiders own 0.16% 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.