Rakuten Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,480 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $495,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Markel Corp increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Markel Corp now owns 1,922,665 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $263,713,000 after buying an additional 42,500 shares during the period. Fairfield Bush & CO. increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 9,624 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. United Bank increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 9,949 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the period. AMI Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,918 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,418,000 after buying an additional 1,094 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 828,308 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $113,611,000 after purchasing an additional 4,722 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.8 %

DIS stock traded up $0.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.88. 9,291,419 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,451,374. The company has a market cap of $208.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $113.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Walt Disney

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.