VELA Investment Management LLC Sells 8,655 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

VELA Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,929 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 8,655 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney makes up about 1.2% of VELA Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. VELA Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 6,447 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $718,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $207,000. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 24,426 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,720,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133 shares during the last quarter. AIMZ Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Finally, A&I Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $320,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS opened at $111.26 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.13 billion, a PE ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.16.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Prescient Securities dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.