Zullo Investment Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Zullo Investment Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,011 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.4% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,744 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $6,420,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,411,205 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,001,454,000 after buying an additional 114,701 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 140,883 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $15,687,000 after buying an additional 13,339 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 476.0% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 12,379 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after acquiring an additional 10,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $15,125,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS opened at $111.28 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.29. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.68.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 9.95%. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 32.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on DIS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.85.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, 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 8,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now 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. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.