The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC grew its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 63.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,032 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,737 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Walt Disney by 0.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 149,887,754 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $12,148,402,000 after purchasing an additional 994,575 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.4% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,318,444 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,592,010,000 after acquiring an additional 195,512 shares in the last quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% in the third quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,663,976,000 after acquiring an additional 26,443,257 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.6% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,859,476 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,014,861,000 after acquiring an additional 2,384,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 20,776,815 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,683,961,000 after acquiring an additional 217,567 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $112.73. 6,292,904 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,784,819. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.46. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a $0.45 dividend. 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 currently 18.52%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays upgraded 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 research note on Monday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Daiwa Capital Markets reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney 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.