The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Skylands Capital LLC

Skylands Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,750 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 9,175 shares during the period. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on DIS. Raymond James lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays raised Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.08.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $112.50. 2,883,280 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,674,559. The company has a market capitalization of $206.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The Walt Disney Company has a one year low of $78.73 and a one year high of $123.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $114.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.86.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.56%.

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.