Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Grows Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in The Walt Disney Company by 30.3% during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 880,695 shares, valued at approximately $86.93 million.
• Walt Disney recently reported earnings of $1.45 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.24, and showed a 7% revenue increase year-over-year compared to the same quarter last year.
• Analysts have issued a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Walt Disney's stock, with an average price target of $129.83, as several firms upgraded their price targets significantly.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 30.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 880,695 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after buying an additional 204,770 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $86,925,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Waterloo Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 3,138 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Acorns Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Acorns Advisers LLC now owns 3,826 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $426,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.6% during the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 16,509 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,629,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Allegheny Financial Group lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 4,624 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.4% during the first quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 26,119 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,578,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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 the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $119.38 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $118.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.82. The company has a market capitalization of $214.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 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 Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $80.10 and a fifty-two week high of $124.69.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.15 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 9.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Walt Disney from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $144.00 in a report on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walt Disney from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Five equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $129.83.

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.

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