The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Shares Acquired by Sound Shore Management Inc. CT

Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lifted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 931,964 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 155,603 shares during the period. Walt Disney makes up about 3.2% of Sound Shore Management Inc. CT's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT owned about 0.05% of Walt Disney worth $91,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Planning Directions Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at $326,000. Trek Financial LLC grew its position in Walt Disney by 479.9% in the fourth quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 36,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $4,044,000 after purchasing an additional 30,057 shares in the last quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its position in Walt Disney by 6.7% in the first quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 96,158 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $9,491,000 after purchasing an additional 6,047 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton grew its position in Walt Disney by 4.4% in the first quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 9,091 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rheos Capital Works Inc. grew its position in Walt Disney by 164.7% in the first quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 395,400 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $39,026,000 after purchasing an additional 246,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Shares of DIS stock traded down $0.91 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $122.03. 6,670,559 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,666,218. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.95, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $117.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.30. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The business had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Walt Disney's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on DIS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $128.13.

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.