Bailard Inc. Grows Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Bailard Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 4.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 94,292 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 4,168 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.'s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $9,307,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walt Disney by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,482,309 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $4,272,590,000 after buying an additional 809,989 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Walt Disney by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,476,693,000 after buying an additional 2,096,431 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,415,427,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 4.2% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, 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 valued at $1,878,142,000 after buying an additional 3,016,339 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.85 on Friday, reaching $121.36. 9,472,100 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,995,557. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $116.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $218.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The business had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.13.

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.