Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Grows Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 16,383 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after buying an additional 490,681 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,609,833,000 after buying an additional 1,393,082 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after buying an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,332,297,000 after buying an additional 454,678 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.5 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $109.23 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $197.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $111.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.26.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost 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

Several equities analysts have recently commented on DIS shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.85.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.