The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.08% of Walt Disney worth $3,609,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 38.0% in the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 148.7% during the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 557 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, 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 transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:DIS opened at $114.64 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $207.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $83.91 and a 12-month high of $123.74. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.73.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on DIS. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.67.

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.