Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $47.22 Million Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 83.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 424,107 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 2,075,690 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $47,224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,463,978,000 after acquiring an additional 490,681 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after buying an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,417,958,000 after buying an additional 425,438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.4% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,332,297,000 after buying an additional 454,678 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the 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 $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $108.12 on Thursday. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $111.58 and its 200 day moving average is $99.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.90, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.54.

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.