The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,058,923 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 144,890 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $198,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co grew its position in Walt Disney by 0.5% in the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 18,869 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,809,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Connable Office Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 35,048 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,371,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Absher Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,141 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,360,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.58.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $111.37 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.39. The stock has a market cap of $201.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 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.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

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.