Welch & Forbes LLC Has $4.58 Million Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,103 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 182 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 644,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $61,948,000 after acquiring an additional 27,806 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,250,000. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at $212,000. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at $245,000. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $579,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.64.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of DIS stock opened at $105.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.96.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value 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 represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.