Plato Investment Management Ltd Purchases 4,972 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,263 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,972 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $5,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 13.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,994 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,039,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at $446,000. Optas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 73.1% during the third quarter. Optas LLC now owns 7,282 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 3,074 shares during the period. Conning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 13.3% during the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 55,617 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $5,350,000 after acquiring an additional 6,545 shares during the period. Finally, Private Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 10.6% during the third quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 100,259 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $9,644,000 after acquiring an additional 9,604 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $113.82 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.08, 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $110.68 and a 200-day moving average of $103.48. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

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.