The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 35.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,203 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 8,787 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Birch Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth $56,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $107.07 on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.43.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 36.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Loop Capital increased their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.54.

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.