Headlands Technologies LLC Purchases New Shares in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 2,665 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.2% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DIS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.08.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS opened at $112.73 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $114.18 and its 200 day moving average is $99.76. 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 company has a market cap of $206.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.59, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $78.73 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

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.