Northern Financial Advisors Inc Sells 673 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Northern Financial Advisors Inc cut its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 23.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,219 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 673 shares during the period. Northern Financial Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 12,574.4% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $329,585,000 after buying an additional 3,399,359 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 114.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after acquiring an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $398,508,000 after acquiring an additional 2,188,610 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.3 %

Walt Disney stock opened at $109.56 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.67. The stock has a market cap of $198.06 billion, a PE ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.57%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on DIS. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $147.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.85.

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.