Smith Thornton Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Smith Thornton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 8,274 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $821,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DIS. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Red Tortoise LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 141.4% in the 1st quarter. Red Tortoise LLC now owns 367 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the first quarter worth $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $95.20 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.48, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $78.73 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Raymond James dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $123.00 to $101.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.43.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, Director Calvin Mcdonald bought 11,756 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $85.06 per share, for a total transaction of $999,965.36. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,313 shares in the company, valued at $1,897,943.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.10% 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.