Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Acquires Shares of 226,829 The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Key Points

• Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. has acquired a new position in The Walt Disney Company, purchasing 226,829 shares valued at approximately $22.39 million in the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have generally positive outlooks on Disney, with several firms increasing their price targets, including Citigroup and Guggenheim raising targets to $140.
• Walt Disney's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $1.45, surpassing analyst estimates and reflecting a 7% year-over-year revenue increase.

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 226,829 shares of the entertainment giant's stock, valued at approximately $22,388,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,767 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,980,000 after buying an additional 1,904 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $124,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $105,957,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC now owns 32,177 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $3,583,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on DIS. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Barclays raised their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.83.

Walt Disney Stock Up 2.4%

DIS stock traded up $2.79 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $119.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,833,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,022,347. The company's fifty day moving average price is $118.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.73. 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 Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.56.

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

Insider Activity

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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.