Renaissance Technologies LLC Buys New Shares in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 559,627 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $55,565,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $603,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,239,000. Balentine LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 8,834 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $798,000 after buying an additional 1,955 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $1,009,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 8,128 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $734,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, Director Calvin Mcdonald acquired 11,756 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $85.06 per share, for a total transaction of $999,965.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,897,943.78. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DIS has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $136.00 to $116.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Walt Disney from $145.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.95.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $92.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $90.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $169.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 100.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $78.73 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.19. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 8.64%. The firm had revenue of $23.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current year.

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.