Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Acquires 9,384 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 119.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,255 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 9,384 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 8,732 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $972,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Onefund LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 6,287 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $700,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 2,342 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WealthCare Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. WealthCare Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,460 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on DIS. UBS Group increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.96.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE DIS opened at $117.72 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $103.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $120.50. The company has a market capitalization of $211.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.54.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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