Insider Selling: The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) EVP Sells 8,000 Shares of Stock

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Brent Woodford also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, November 20th, Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.3 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $114.90 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. 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 stock has a market cap of $208.08 billion, a PE ratio of 42.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $104.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.04.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Macquarie raised their price target on Walt Disney from $91.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.67.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 8.4% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,420,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 476.0% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth $14,079,000. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 18.6% in the third quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 147,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $14,174,000 after purchasing an additional 23,116 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.