Sherman Asset Management Inc. Buys Shares of 2,232 The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,232 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Onefund LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 9,756 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 5,048.0% during the 4th quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,262 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 107,119 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $11,928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xcel Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Xcel Wealth Management LLC now owns 35,712 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after acquiring an additional 6,027 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Prescient Securities dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six investment 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS opened at $113.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $103.35.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost 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 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.