The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 28,543 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 819 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,577,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% during the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Evolution Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock traded up $2.81 during trading on Monday, hitting $116.47. The stock had a trading volume of 16,255,996 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,571,038. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $114.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.05. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $78.73 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $213.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays raised Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $113.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.17.

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.