J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,675 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 1,793 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Farmers Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Saxon Interests Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 9,662 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Bank Hapoalim BM lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank Hapoalim BM now owns 4,539 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $505,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Great Diamond Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 6,105 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $680,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

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

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $110.31 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a fifty day moving average of $111.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.85. The stock has a market cap of $199.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, February 10th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Prescient Securities reduced their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 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, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.85.

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.