Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Purchases 2,952 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL boosted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 331,136 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,952 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $36,872,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp lifted 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,609,833,000 after buying an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 23.4% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after acquiring an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,904,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300,912 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $111.18 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $110.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $200.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on DIS shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

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.