The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stake Lifted by R Squared Ltd

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd significantly increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 13,291.7%, acquiring 15,950 additional shares, which now constitute 1.7% of its investment portfolio.
• Several other hedge funds, including Northern Trust Corp and UBS AM, also raised their positions in Walt Disney, reflecting a growing interest among institutional investors.
• Walt Disney reported a strong quarterly earnings result, with earnings per share of $1.45 surpassing the consensus estimate by $0.24, and a revenue increase of 7.0% year-over-year.

R Squared Ltd grew its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 13,291.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,070 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 15,950 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney comprises 1.7% of R Squared Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. R Squared Ltd's holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,586,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,476,693,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,431 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,821,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,758,968,000 after purchasing an additional 717,066 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,867,017 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,878,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,016,339 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 11,136,276 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,240,025,000 after buying an additional 192,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,523,946 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $837,775,000 after buying an additional 163,845 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DIS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a report on Monday, June 30th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $128.70.

Walt Disney Stock Down 2.1%

DIS stock opened at $116.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company's 50-day moving average price is $118.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.72. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $80.10 and a 52 week high of $124.69. The company has a market cap of $209.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.56.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $23.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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.

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