The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stake Cut by Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. decreased its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,865 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 690 shares during the quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in Walt Disney by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after purchasing an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,332,297,000 after buying an additional 454,678 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of DIS stock opened at $108.62 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.39. The stock has a market cap of $196.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 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%. Analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Prescient Securities cut their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

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.