GFS Advisors LLC Sells 29,680 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

GFS Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 297,874 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 29,680 shares during the period. Walt Disney accounts for approximately 5.0% of GFS Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. GFS Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $33,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in DIS. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 291.9% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 200,240 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $19,882,000 after buying an additional 149,140 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 369,397 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $35,532,000 after acquiring an additional 21,998 shares during the last quarter. Farmers Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,391 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $807,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. CJM Wealth Advisers Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 7.2% during the third quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,115 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $113.04 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $204.43 billion, a PE ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

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.