Verus Capital Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Verus Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,426 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farmers Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,471 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $386,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 8,732 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Saxon Interests Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,662 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Prescient Securities reduced their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Macquarie reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $111.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $201.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $110.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.16. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.57%.

About Walt Disney

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.