MML Investors Services LLC Has $51.36 Million Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 533,900 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 11,405 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $51,356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its position in Walt Disney by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $7,463,978,000 after purchasing an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Walt Disney by 10.8% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,883,983 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,477,831,000 after acquiring an additional 1,449,730 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,417,958,000 after acquiring an additional 425,438 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 454,678 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on DIS. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.67.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS stock opened at $116.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The business’s fifty day moving average is $102.70 and its 200-day moving average is $97.69. The company has a market cap of $211.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm 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 company’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.39 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.21%.

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.