Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $8.38 Million Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Key Points

• The Maryland State Retirement & Pension System has reduced its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 13.2%, now holding 84,921 shares valued at approximately $8.38 million.
• Investment firms like Vanguard Group Inc. and Northern Trust Corp have increased their stakes in Disney, with Vanguard now owning over 155 million shares valued at about $15.38 billion.
• Walt Disney has recently received updated ratings from several analysts, with Jefferies Financial Group upgrading their rating to "buy" and raising the target price to $144.00.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lessened its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 13.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,921 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 12,889 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $8,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kessler Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 274.0% in the 1st quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 273 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS stock traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $112.40. 9,487,697 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,751,555. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $23.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.69 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 12.22% and a return on equity of 9.67%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.39 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Loop Capital raised their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $134.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Walt Disney from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $112.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.83.

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.