Sapient Capital LLC Invests $33.40 Million in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sapient Capital LLC 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 (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 368,759 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $33,400,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th 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. Evolution Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.66. The company had a trading volume of 7,411,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,776,801. The company has a market capitalization of $208.49 billion, a PE ratio of 70.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $78.73 and a one year high of $123.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $114.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Macquarie raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Argus lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney 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.