Highland Capital Management LLC Has $5.43 Million Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Highland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 24.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 48,750 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,500 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $5,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walt Disney by 38.1% during the 4th quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of DIS stock opened at $113.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $204.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.33. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. 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 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Bank of America 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 Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.52.

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.