Insider Selling: The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) EVP Sells $917,920.00 in Stock

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction 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 $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Brent Woodford also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 20th, Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.4 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $113.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $104.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.12. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $205.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.82, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.67.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the second quarter worth $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 148.7% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 557 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.