Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Upgraded at Redburn Atlantic

Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $147.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock, up from their previous price target of $100.00.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.54.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS opened at $109.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.40. The stock has a market cap of $198.53 billion, a PE ratio of 40.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 7,637.8% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 225,788 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 222,870 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 132.1% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 50,978 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $5,060,000 after buying an additional 29,010 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 36,460.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 3,656 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 3,646 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 142.4% in the 2nd quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,885 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,677,000 after acquiring an additional 9,918 shares during the period. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 760,620 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $75,522,000 after purchasing an additional 11,796 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.