Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Down 0.4%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s share price dropped 0.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $110.49 and last traded at $110.68. Approximately 1,198,312 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 11,559,201 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on DIS. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Barclays raised shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $208.53 billion, a PE ratio of 70.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.52%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,037 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $997,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 2,304 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Walt Disney by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,767 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $6,751,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Finally, Tempus Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 4.5% in the third quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 12,722 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,031,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.