Aspire Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Aspire Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 18.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,811 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 418 shares during the period. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. First PREMIER Bank increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS opened at $112.66 on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $204.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50 day moving average is $112.46 and its 200-day moving average is $100.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was 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 owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the 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 directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.