Great Lakes Advisors LLC Takes $130.04 Million Position in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,351,083 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $130,042,000. Walt Disney comprises 1.0% of Great Lakes Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Walt Disney as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,342,154 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $18,128,357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,207 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 83,873,646 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $9,604,567,000 after buying an additional 1,853,897 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 40,588,604 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,597,804,000 after buying an additional 1,361,888 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its stake in Walt Disney by 9,060.1% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 38,135,363 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,338,660,000 after buying an additional 37,719,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $2,388,278,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney announced major Walt Disney World investments, including Villains Land, a Monsters, Inc. area, new Indiana Jones and Cars attractions, and updates at EPCOT and other parks. The projects could increase attendance, guest spending and long-term Experiences revenue, although they will require substantial capital. Disney parks investment strategy
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s upcoming content pipeline includes new animated films, sequels and the next Avengers installment. Successful releases could support box office, Disney+, licensing, merchandise and theme-park demand. Disney also recently reported quarterly EPS of $2.06, ahead of the $1.86 consensus estimate. Disney’s new film slate
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney and ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission, seeking to stop early license reviews of eight ABC stations and alleging retaliation over editorial content, DEI practices and equal-time issues. The lawsuit may protect important broadcast assets, but it introduces political, legal and regulatory uncertainty. Disney ABC FCC lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: Disney’s new parks leadership plans to balance large expansions with smaller upgrades for annual passholders. The strategy could improve guest engagement, but its financial benefits will take time to materialize. Disney’s new CEO and plan
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Disney’s film slate depends heavily on animation, sequels and established franchises, creating box-office execution and franchise-fatigue risks. Recent revenue was slightly below expectations despite the EPS beat.
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares valued at approximately $762,000. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing its significance as a bearish signal, but it may weigh marginally on sentiment. Disney insider sale

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $104.03 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $179.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $99.49 and its 200 day moving average is $101.49. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $92.18 and a 52 week high of $119.78.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The entertainment giant reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.20. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.90% and a net margin of 8.70%.The business had revenue of $25.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walt Disney has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.642-6.642 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 6.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DIS. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walt Disney from $138.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walt Disney from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Truist Financial set a $115.00 target price on Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research set a $131.00 price target on Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $119.00 to $111.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.61.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 7,238 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.31, for a total transaction of $762,233.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 62,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,563,235.13. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi‑national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family‑oriented storytelling. Disney’s operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.