The Walt Disney Company $DIS Shares Purchased by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 15.2%, acquiring an additional 280,500 shares, totaling approximately $209.6 million worth of stock.
• Hedge funds and institutional investors now control 65.71% of Disney's stock, with significant contributions from firms like Nuveen LLC and UBS AM, which boosted their positions substantially.
• Disney reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding consensus estimates, while its revenue came in slightly below expectations at $23.65 billion.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 15.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,123,625 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 280,500 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.12% of Walt Disney worth $209,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 137.4% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 48,385 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $5,405,000 after purchasing an additional 28,001 shares during the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 3,408 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 29,958 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,336,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $89,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS stock traded up $1.44 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $118.82. 6,946,329 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,523,886. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $119.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.68. The Walt Disney Company has a 1-year low of $80.10 and a 1-year high of $124.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $213.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.55.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Chardan Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Evercore ISI increased 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. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.18.

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.