The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Bought by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,426 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DIS. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,137,637,000 after buying an additional 3,636,742 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,904,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300,912 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 114.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 112.0% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Walt Disney stock opened at $111.26 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total value of $917,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,054,870.70. This trade represents a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on DIS. Loop Capital increased their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $147.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.44.

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.