The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Position Reduced by QV Investors Inc.

QV Investors Inc. lowered its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 35.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,650 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 38,920 shares during the period. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $7,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DIS. Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in Walt Disney by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $15,687,000 after buying an additional 13,339 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 3,040 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 52,108 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $5,802,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 14,418 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,672 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,188,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DIS. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seaport Res Ptn raised Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of DIS stock traded down $1.04 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $107.61. 2,738,981 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,356,598. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $194.88 billion, a PE ratio of 39.71, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

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.