John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Lowers Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 82,799 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 917 shares during the period. Walt Disney comprises approximately 1.2% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $7,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. UBS Group upped their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Argus upped their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Raymond James increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $112.24. The company had a trading volume of 6,707,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,070,631. The company has a market capitalization of $205.88 billion, a PE ratio of 69.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $78.73 and a one year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

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.