Whitener Capital Management Inc. Sells 400 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Whitener Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 38,900 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,331,000 after buying an additional 5,955 shares in the last quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at about $203,000. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 5,857 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank boosted its position in Walt Disney by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. CNB Bank now owns 8,149 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $907,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $107.07 on Friday. 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 price is $111.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.62. 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 company has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a PE ratio of 39.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. Walt Disney’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.