TCW Group Inc. Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

TCW Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 13.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 769,517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 92,017 shares during the quarter. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $85,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DIS. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 107,880 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $10,377,000 after acquiring an additional 4,878 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 24,394 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,346,000 after acquiring an additional 2,310 shares during the period. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,039 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Shayne & Jacobs LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Shayne & Jacobs LLC now owns 29,260 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,815,000 after acquiring an additional 3,113 shares during the period. Finally, Pavion Blue Capital LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pavion Blue Capital LLC now owns 55,811 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $5,368,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of 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 trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of DIS opened at $108.62 on Friday. 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 Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.49. The firm has a market cap of $196.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts expect 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 announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.44.

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.