Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,823 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 398 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in Walt Disney by 347.8% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 14,541 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 11,294 shares in the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.7% in the third quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 16,793 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,615,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Asio Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.3% in the third quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 29,792 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares during the period. Covea Finance grew its stake in Walt Disney by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Covea Finance now owns 566,016 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $54,445,000 after purchasing an additional 5,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cox Capital Mgt LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last three months. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $110.83 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $111.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.14.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase 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 is 32.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. Prescient Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

About Walt Disney

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.