Baird Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. has increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 26.8%, now owning a total of 4,242,266 shares valued at approximately $418.7 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 65.71% of Walt Disney's stock, reflecting significant interest in the company among large financial entities.
• Research analysts are optimistic about Walt Disney's stock, with multiple upgrades in price targets, resulting in an average price target of $131.18 and a majority rating of "Moderate Buy".

Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 26.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,242,266 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 896,374 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.24% of Walt Disney worth $418,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,767 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Eagle Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 82,690 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $9,208,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS traded down $0.17 on Tuesday, reaching $118.21. The company had a trading volume of 4,130,870 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,545,842. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.54 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.55. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $119.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.56. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $80.10 and a 12 month high of $124.69.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on DIS. Stephens reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.18.

Walt Disney 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.