The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) is Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.'s 9th Largest Position

Key Points

• Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 6.3%, acquiring an additional 21,499 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 364,358 shares.
• Walt Disney reported a quarterly earnings per share of $1.61, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.45, and showed a 2.1% revenue increase from the previous year.
• Analysts have generally rated DIS shares positively, with 20 buy ratings and a consensus target price of $131.18, indicating strong future growth potential.

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. grew its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 6.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 364,358 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 21,499 shares during the period. Walt Disney accounts for 2.5% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.'s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $35,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 222,747 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $21,983,000 after purchasing an additional 16,781 shares in the last quarter. Planning Directions Inc. purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 1st quarter worth about $326,000. WoodTrust Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 96,158 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $9,491,000 after purchasing an additional 6,047 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 9,091 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 164.7% during the 1st quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 395,400 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $39,026,000 after purchasing an additional 246,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE DIS traded down $0.30 on Thursday, hitting $116.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,609,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,084,944. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $80.10 and a 52-week high of $124.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $119.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.11. The firm has a market cap of $209.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.39 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DIS shares. 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. Jefferies Financial Group cut Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Wolfe Research upgraded Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 20th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.18.

About Walt Disney

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.