Sovereign Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sovereign Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 45.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,699 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 13.6% in the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 22,595 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after buying an additional 2,698 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. MQS Management LLC now owns 5,324 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $432,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 32.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 14,941 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 7.2% during the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,566 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 27.3% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 102,855 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $8,336,000 after purchasing an additional 22,082 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on DIS shares. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Argus raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walt Disney from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.50.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS opened at $102.16 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $78.73 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $186.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 111.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $105.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $22.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.12 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 1.90%. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $106.03 per share, with a total value of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.