Orbis Allan Gray Ltd Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Key Points

• Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 20.9%, now holding approximately 3.6 million shares valued at around $354 million, making Disney the firm's 15th largest position.
• Several institutional investors, including Nuveen LLC and UBS AM, have significantly increased their stakes in Disney, showcasing a growing confidence among hedge funds in the company's prospects.
• Analysts have raised price targets for Disney stock, with Barclays and Guggenheim increasing their targets to $140, indicating a positive outlook and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 20.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,588,463 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after purchasing an additional 620,166 shares during the period. Walt Disney makes up approximately 2.0% of Orbis Allan Gray Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd owned 0.20% of Walt Disney worth $354,181,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DIS. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,353,607,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1,900.0% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 5,735,961 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $638,699,000 after acquiring an additional 5,449,158 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 21.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 3,016,339 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in 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 valued at $277,993,000 after acquiring an additional 2,578,004 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 155,862,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $15,383,615,000 after acquiring an additional 2,446,087 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. Stephens reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.18.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS traded up $0.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $118.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,210,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,424,572. The business's 50-day moving average price is $119.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.50. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $80.10 and a 12 month high of $124.69. The stock has a market cap of $212.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company had revenue of $23.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney 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.