Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd Purchases Shares of 570,000 The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd acquired 570,000 shares of The Walt Disney Company valued at approximately $56.3 million, making it the company's 14th largest position in their investment portfolio.
• Walt Disney recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.61 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.45, with a revenue of $23.65 billion, slightly below forecasts.
• Several equities analysts have raised their target prices for Walt Disney shares, with Citigroup increasing its target from $125 to $140 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd purchased a new stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 570,000 shares of the entertainment giant's stock, valued at approximately $56,259,000. Walt Disney accounts for 1.6% of Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 155,862,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $15,383,615,000 after buying an additional 2,446,087 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,821,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,758,968,000 after acquiring an additional 717,066 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,867,017 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,878,142,000 after acquiring an additional 3,016,339 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 11.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 14,882,195 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,468,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,520,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 4.5% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 14,178,295 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,399,399,000 after purchasing an additional 613,414 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.18.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE:DIS traded up $0.86 on Monday, hitting $118.77. The company had a trading volume of 6,449,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,486,525. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $119.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.77.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.16. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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.