Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Shares Up 1%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $114.06 and last traded at $114.03. Approximately 1,174,852 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 12,049,179 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DIS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Macquarie lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $113.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.25. The company has a market cap of $206.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avitas Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,037 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $997,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. WNY Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $756,000 after acquiring an additional 2,304 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,767 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $6,751,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Finally, Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 12,722 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Company 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.