Evolution Advisers Inc. Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Evolution Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 38.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $34,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,975 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. First Business Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 16,514 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,338,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Kelman Lazarov Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Kelman Lazarov Inc. now owns 3,583 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 24,096 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,176,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Bfsg LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 3,894 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DIS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James raised their target price on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.08.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $112.74. The stock had a trading volume of 8,033,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,853,280. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.46. The company has a market capitalization of $206.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.42.

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. On average, analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. 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 (DPR) is presently 18.52%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.