Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 2,446,087 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company by 1.6%, acquiring an additional 2,446,087 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 155,862,361 shares worth approximately $15.38 billion.
• Institutional investors collectively own 65.71% of Walt Disney's stock, indicating a strong interest from large funds in the company.
• Walt Disney reported earnings that exceeded expectations with a net revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, outperforming analyst estimates of $23.15 billion.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 155,862,361 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after acquiring an additional 2,446,087 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 8.62% of Walt Disney worth $15,383,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,993,968 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $887,705,000 after purchasing an additional 1,324,256 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 45.8% in the first quarter. Legacy Capital Group California Inc. now owns 23,749 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,465 shares in the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 11.2% in the first quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,290 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 11.9% in the first quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 11,276 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,113,000 after buying an additional 1,202 shares during the period. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 30.3% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 880,695 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $86,925,000 after buying an additional 204,770 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,190,748.04. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on DIS shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $144.00 in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.83.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS stock traded down $2.28 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $112.89. 15,471,053 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,322,005. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $80.10 and a twelve month high of $124.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $119.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.98.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.16. The business 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%. Walt Disney's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.39 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

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.