The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Royal Fund Management LLC

Royal Fund Management LLC cut its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,042 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Farmers Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 18,869 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,809,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.9% in the third quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connable Office Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.3% in the third quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 35,048 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,371,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DIS. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.54.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $108.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $196.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two 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’s 50 day moving average price is $112.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.76.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

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.