Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,906 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 188 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DIS. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its stake in Walt Disney by 53.5% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 4,033 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $449,000 after buying an additional 1,406 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 70,226 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 4,083 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 33.8% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 4,762 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Crestmont Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $625,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction 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 approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DIS. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Needham & Company LLC 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $108.03 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $111.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.51. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a market cap of $195.64 billion, a PE ratio of 39.86, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase 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 is currently 36.90%.

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.