Blair William & Co. IL Sells 9,115 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL decreased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 1.8%, selling 9,115 shares, and now holds 489,554 shares valued at approximately $48.32 million.
• Despite some sales, other institutional investors have increased their positions, with Liberty Wealth Management raising its stake by 214.3% during the same period.
• The Walt Disney Company reported strong earnings, with a 7.0% year-over-year revenue growth and an EPS of $1.45, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.21.

Blair William & Co. IL decreased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 489,554 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 9,115 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $48,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.8% during the first quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 64,430 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 214.3% during the 1st quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,949 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,364,000 after purchasing an additional 16,328 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 49,074 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $4,844,000 after purchasing an additional 2,486 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 222,747 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $21,983,000 after purchasing an additional 16,781 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 13,291.7% in the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 16,070 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,586,000 after buying an additional 15,950 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of DIS stock opened at $116.57 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $209.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.56. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $80.10 and a 52-week high of $124.69. The business's fifty day moving average is $118.76 and its 200 day moving average is $107.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a report on Monday, June 30th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $128.70.

About Walt Disney

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.

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