The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stake Lessened by John G Ullman & Associates Inc.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lessened its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 82,799 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 917 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney accounts for about 1.2% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $7,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trian Fund Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% during the third quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,663,976,000 after acquiring an additional 26,443,257 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 109,924.5% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,666,275 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,056,126,000 after purchasing an additional 23,644,765 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $1,433,075,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 46,172,567 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,011,473,000 after acquiring an additional 5,499,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $326,171,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $112.24. 6,707,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,070,631. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $78.73 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $113.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.35.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.54.

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.