The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stake Cut by Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 903,055 shares of the entertainment giant's stock after selling 9,522 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $110,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays raised shares of Walt Disney from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 25th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $133.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Macquarie raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $110.45. The stock had a trading volume of 6,341,456 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,621,965. The firm has a market cap of $202.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a fifty-two week low of $78.73 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $114.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.32.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.99 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.67 EPS 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 of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.52%.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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