HM Payson & Co. Cuts Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

HM Payson & Co. lowered its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,394 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 308 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,494,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,001,454,000 after acquiring an additional 114,701 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its stake in Walt Disney by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $15,687,000 after acquiring an additional 13,339 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments grew its stake in Walt Disney by 476.0% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares in the last quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 85,187 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $9,486,000 after acquiring an additional 9,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $15,125,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.64.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $105.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $190.87 billion, a PE ratio of 34.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.41. 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 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s 50 day moving average is $110.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.05.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.