The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Howard Capital Management Group LLC

Howard Capital Management Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,504 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in Walt Disney by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,463,978,000 after buying an additional 490,681 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,609,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393,082 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,417,958,000 after acquiring an additional 425,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,332,297,000 after purchasing an additional 454,678 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on DIS. Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen increased their target price on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued 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 target price of $125.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $108.72 on Wednesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $196.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50 day moving average is $112.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.76.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s 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.