MCF Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,374 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DIS. Certified Advisory Corp purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the second quarter worth approximately $1,218,000. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth about $355,673,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 61,919 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,148,000 after buying an additional 714 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 0.4% in the second quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 32,610 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,238,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ValueAct Holdings L.P. increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 13.2% during the second quarter. ValueAct Holdings L.P. now owns 6,133,631 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $609,008,000 after acquiring an additional 715,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $108.72 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.43. 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 Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $112.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.76.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Raymond James reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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 shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

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.