The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stock Holdings Lifted by Townsend & Associates Inc

Townsend & Associates Inc raised its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,641 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,477 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney makes up approximately 1.7% of Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $16,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,463,978,000 after acquiring an additional 490,681 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,137,637,000 after acquiring an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,332,297,000 after acquiring an additional 454,678 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of DIS opened at $108.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $196.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.38, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 32.57%.

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.