Empower Advisory Group LLC Purchases 41,826 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,359,735 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 41,826 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $151,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 330,965 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $36,852,000 after purchasing an additional 11,776 shares in the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 598 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 315,941 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $35,837,000 after acquiring an additional 7,707 shares during the last quarter. Rational Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walt Disney by 72.5% during the fourth quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 24,500 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,728,000 after acquiring an additional 10,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,921 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,773,000 after acquiring an additional 4,354 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of 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 reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six 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. According to 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 other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’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 transaction, 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. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $110.31 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $199.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $111.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

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.