Semus Wealth Partners LLC Makes New Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Semus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,041 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 12,574.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $329,585,000 after acquiring an additional 3,399,359 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in 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. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 114.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $109.48 on Wednesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a market cap of $197.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.66, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $110.95 and its 200 day moving average is $102.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 EPS 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 issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 32.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on DIS. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Company 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.