Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 106,784 call options on the company. This is an increase of 31% compared to the typical volume of 81,656 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew 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 period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Prescient Securities reduced their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.65.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS stock traded down $1.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $111.64. 12,165,050 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,872,238. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $112.26 and its 200 day moving average is $100.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $201.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.20, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

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.