Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Trading 1% Higher

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s stock price traded up 1% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $114.06 and last traded at $114.03. 1,174,852 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 12,049,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on DIS shares. Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Price Performance

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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.56. The company has a market capitalization of $206.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.52, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,037 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $997,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $756,000 after acquiring an additional 2,304 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,767 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tempus Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.5% in the third quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 12,722 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

About Walt Disney

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.