Spartan Planning & Wealth Management Takes Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Spartan Planning & Wealth Management acquired a new stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,714 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $302,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third 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 acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $111.75. 4,239,918 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,366,479. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost 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 36.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on DIS. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

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.