Principal Securities Inc. Raises Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 20.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 71,072 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,298 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $7,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.4% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $6,420,000 after acquiring an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,001,454,000 after buying an additional 114,701 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $15,687,000 after buying an additional 13,339 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 476.0% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 10,230 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $15,125,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DIS has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.7 %

DIS stock opened at $110.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $199.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $111.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.78. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 32.57%.

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.