The Walt Disney Company $DIS Shares Sold by Gabelli Funds LLC

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 3.2%, selling 7,582 shares, and now holds 226,643 shares valued at approximately $22.37 million.
• Institutional investors own 65.71% of Disney's stock, with several firms increasing their positions, including J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG and Rheos Capital Works Inc.
• Walt Disney reported $1.61 earnings per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analyst estimates, despite revenues slightly falling short of expectations.

Gabelli Funds LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,643 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 7,582 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $22,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,353,607,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its position in Walt Disney by 1,900.0% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 5,735,961 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $638,699,000 after purchasing an additional 5,449,158 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 21.8% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 3,016,339 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 1,080.7% in the 1st quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,816,548 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $277,993,000 after purchasing an additional 2,578,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 155,862,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $15,383,615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,446,087 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS stock traded up $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $118.39. 5,210,979 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,580,361. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $119.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.45. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $80.10 and a 1-year high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $212.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.56.

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. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.18.

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.