Quilter Plc Trims Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Quilter Plc trimmed its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 173,761 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 5,502 shares during the period. Quilter Plc’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $19,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in Walt Disney by 347.8% during the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 14,541 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,398,000 after buying an additional 11,294 shares in the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department grew its position in Walt Disney by 7.7% during the third quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 13,699 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,318,000 after buying an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 51.4% during the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 2,896 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 983 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 17.5% during the third quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 4,241 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.2% during the third quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 660,206 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $63,505,000 after purchasing an additional 7,853 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $110.83 on Monday. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $111.87 and its 200 day moving average is $101.19. The stock has a market cap of $200.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

DIS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.