Essex LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 12.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,707 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 2,866 shares during the period. Essex LLC's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $2,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Trek Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 479.9% during the 4th quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 36,320 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $4,044,000 after buying an additional 30,057 shares during 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 worth $9,491,000 after acquiring an additional 6,047 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton increased its stake in Walt Disney by 4.4% during the first quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 9,091 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $897,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. raised 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 during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 47.0% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 57,172 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $5,643,000 after purchasing an additional 18,272 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Walt Disney Price Performance
DIS stock opened at $122.39 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $220.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.03, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.54. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.93. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $108.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.90.
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The company's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Walt Disney
In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DIS. Barclays raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a report on Monday. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.79.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Walt Disney
Walt Disney Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
See Also

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Walt Disney, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Walt Disney wasn't on the list.
While Walt Disney currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Wondering what the next stocks will be that hit it big, with solid fundamentals? Enter your email address to see which stocks MarketBeat analysts could become the next blockbuster growth stocks.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.