The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Bought by National Pension Service

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 4.2%, owning approximately 3.9 million shares valued at $384.8 million as of the end of the first quarter.
• Equities analysts have generally given Walt Disney positive feedback, with several firms raising their price targets, now averaging around $131.18 while maintaining a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Walt Disney reported earnings per share of $1.61 in its latest quarter, surpassing estimates, with a 2.1% year-over-year revenue growth, totaling $23.65 billion.

National Pension Service boosted its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,899,007 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 157,035 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.22% of Walt Disney worth $384,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,353,607,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 5,449,158 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 21.8% during the fourth 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 worth $1,878,142,000 after acquiring an additional 3,016,339 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 1,080.7% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 155,862,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $15,383,615,000 after acquiring an additional 2,446,087 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of DIS traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $116.34. 6,609,940 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,838,010. The stock's 50-day moving average is $119.22 and its 200-day moving average is $108.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69. The company has a market cap of $209.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $23.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.69 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DIS shares. Susquehanna reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Eight 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently 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.