Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price Down 2.1%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) shares fell 2.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $110.39 and last traded at $111.54. 2,556,106 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 11,783,065 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on DIS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $133.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Walt Disney from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.08.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $114.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.37. The company has a market capitalization of $206.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 69.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Walt Disney's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 4,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Walt Disney by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,443,502 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $13,673,834,000 after buying an additional 1,555,748 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,318,444 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $3,592,010,000 after purchasing an additional 195,512 shares during the period. Trian Fund Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% in the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 24,859,476 shares of the entertainment giant's stock worth $2,014,861,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384,407 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth about $1,938,647,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company's stock.

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.

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