Essex Investment Management Co. LLC Sells 3,256 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lessened its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 10.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,955 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 3,256 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its position in Walt Disney by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 3,138 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Walt Disney by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 22,658 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC now owns 3,826 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Allegheny Financial Group lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 4,624 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $515,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,119 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,578,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DIS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.13.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $120.36 on Tuesday. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69. 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 capitalization of $216.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.56. The company's 50 day moving average price is $118.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.42.

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

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

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