Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,035 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 136 shares during the period. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 12,574.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $329,585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399,359 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 114.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after acquiring an additional 2,298,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS opened at $112.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $202.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.38, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $112.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.99. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued 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 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI increased their price objective 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 boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

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.