Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stake in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 17.7%, owning 103,745 shares valued at $10.24 million.
• Walt Disney's recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $1.61, exceeding expectations, with revenue slightly below analyst projections at $23.65 billion.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus price target of $131.18 for Disney, with most ratings categorized as either "Buy" or "Overweight".

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 17.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,745 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 15,580 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $10,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 111.5% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 65,076 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $6,423,000 after acquiring an additional 34,310 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,425,512 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $140,220,000 after purchasing an additional 15,600 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,419,000. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 3.1% during the first quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,406 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $830,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sciencast Management LP grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 34.1% in the first quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 36,572 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,610,000 after purchasing an additional 9,296 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.2%

DIS stock opened at $117.43 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $211.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.90. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on DIS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.18.

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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