The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Levin Capital Strategies L.P.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lowered its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,989 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 1,092 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Trian Fund Management L.P. increased its stake 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 worth $2,663,976,000 after acquiring an additional 26,443,257 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at $326,171,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 8,681.3% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,349,709 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $302,445,000 after buying an additional 3,311,563 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in Walt Disney by 21.0% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 14,416,343 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,168,444,000 after buying an additional 2,505,486 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Walt Disney by 10.6% during 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 buying an additional 2,384,407 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of DIS stock traded up $2.06 during trading on Thursday, reaching $112.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,656,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,537,062. 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 company has a market capitalization of $206.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $114.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.32. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $78.73 and a 1-year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.67 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company 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 (DPR) is presently 18.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on DIS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.08.

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.