Jennison Associates LLC Sells 3,476,877 Shares of The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Jennison Associates sold 3,476,877 shares of Walt Disney, cutting its stake by 17.2% to 16,688,019 shares; Disney represents about 1.1% of Jennison’s portfolio while Jennison owned roughly 0.93% of Disney (~$1.90B) at quarter end.
• Other institutions reshuffled positions—Viking Global opened an ~$725M stake and Vanguard and State Street added shares—leaving about 65.7% of Disney held by institutions.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” (average target ~$133.53) even as several firms trimmed targets, and company headlines mix positives (AI push, pausing an ESPN spin‑off) with a material FCC review of ABC licenses that introduces regulatory uncertainty.

Jennison Associates LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,688,019 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 3,476,877 shares during the period. Walt Disney comprises approximately 1.1% of Jennison Associates LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Jennison Associates LLC owned about 0.93% of Walt Disney worth $1,898,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter worth approximately $725,219,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 82,019,749 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $9,391,261,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376,706 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter worth approximately $142,142,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,342,154 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $18,128,357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1,158.2% in the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,212,028 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $138,777,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115,700 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 16th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Walt Disney to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $136.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.53.

Key Headlines Impacting Walt Disney

Here are the key news stories impacting Walt Disney this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Disney is pushing companywide AI adoption (milestone badges, manager check‑ins) — this could boost productivity and cost efficiency across studios, parks and operations. How Disney is pushing employees to use AI
• Positive Sentiment: Management has shelved plans to spin off ESPN and will keep sports at the core of its streaming strategy — a move that preserves a valuable cash‑generating asset and simplifies execution of Disney+ bundles and ad/sports monetization. Disney is no longer planning to spin off ESPN
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Disney’s long‑term investment in parks/experiences (large capex and experiential moat) that could sustain cash flow and pricing power over time. Disney’s $60 billion bet on the one thing AI can’t replace
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group marginally trimmed FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (tiny downgrades), which is unlikely to materially change consensus but adds a modest headwind to near‑term expectations. MarketBeat Disney profile (analyst notes)
• Neutral Sentiment: Park and merchandising updates (ride rethemes, seasonal event dates, new merchandise) support steady revenue from Parks & Consumer Products but are routine operations rather than game‑changers. Disney’s Rock N’ Roller Coaster Muppets makeover
• Negative Sentiment: The FCC has initiated an early review of ABC/Disney broadcast licenses tied to a probe of Disney’s DEI policies and a political dispute — this regulatory action creates real near‑term uncertainty and has been cited by market commentators as a driver of recent share weakness. Broadcast group says FCC Disney license review creates significant uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Broad media and political coverage — including detailed reporting on the FCC inquiry and the CEO being tested by the White House conflict — amplifies reputational and regulatory risk that could pressure ad rates, affiliate relations and licensing. New Disney Boss Is Tested by Trump and His Administration

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE:DIS opened at $101.53 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $179.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.44. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $100.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.81. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $89.61 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 2nd. The entertainment giant reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $25.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.54 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 6.61 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Profile

The Walt Disney Company NYSE: DIS, commonly known as Disney, is a diversified global entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California. Founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, the company grew from an animation studio into a multi‑national entertainment enterprise known for iconic intellectual property and family‑oriented storytelling. Disney's operations span film and television production, streaming services, theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and live entertainment.

On the content side, Disney produces and distributes feature films and television programming through a portfolio of studios and labels that includes Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios, along with broadcast and cable networks such as ABC, FX and National Geographic.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DIS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.