Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Buys 1,324,256 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 17.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,993,968 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 1,324,256 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.50% of Walt Disney worth $887,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 1,900.0% during the fourth quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 5,735,961 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $638,699,000 after buying an additional 5,449,158 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake 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 during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 1,080.7% during the 1st quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,816,548 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $277,993,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578,004 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 10,567.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,450,702 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $241,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427,728 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,476,693,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,431 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. Wall Street Zen cut Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a report on Monday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.14.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:DIS traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $112.40. 9,487,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,751,555. The business's 50-day moving average price is $119.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.56. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $80.10 and a 1 year high of $124.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.16. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 12.22%. The firm had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.39 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.