Ballast Inc. Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Ballast Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,519 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,084 shares during the quarter. Ballast Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $950,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 197.6% in the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 366 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.77.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $122.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $78.73 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $94.53. The company has a market capitalization of $224.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.41.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. This represents a yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 898 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.11, for a total transaction of $80,918.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,694.71. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.