Sentry Investment Management LLC Purchases 3,360 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 87.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,219 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,360 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of 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 increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.8% in 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 buying an additional 1,393,082 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,636,742 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during 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 acquiring an additional 454,678 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DIS. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Six investment 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.44.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $111.18 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $110.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.75. The firm has a market cap of $200.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42.

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 return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.