ING Groep NV Acquires 280,404 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

ING Groep NV increased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 58.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 760,067 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 280,404 shares during the period. Walt Disney comprises about 0.6% of ING Groep NV’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $84,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 399 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Prescient Securities lowered their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $111.28 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $201.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.25, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.42. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend 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 was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.