Ritholtz Wealth Management Acquires 1,195 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,077 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DIS. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Birch Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE DIS opened at $107.07 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.62. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $83.91 and a one year high of $123.74. The firm has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a PE ratio of 39.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on DIS shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised 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 research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.54.

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.