The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Bought by Bill Few Associates Inc.

Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 25,528 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney comprises about 1.0% of Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. First PREMIER Bank increased its stake in Walt Disney by 98.1% during 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 period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at about $51,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade 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. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $108.86 on Thursday. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.14 billion, a PE ratio of 40.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.52.

Walt Disney 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.