Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. Sells 2,682 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. cut its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 23.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,916 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 2,682 shares during the period. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 58,774 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $5,653,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 29,714 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,858,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 12,817 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 2,925 shares in the last quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 31.4% in the 3rd quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC now owns 23,394 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,250,000 after purchasing an additional 5,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,994 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,039,000 after purchasing an additional 4,926 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Prescient Securities lowered their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $113.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $205.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.35.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. 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 (DPR) is 32.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.