Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price Down 1.7%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s share price fell 1.7% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $101.03 and last traded at $101.53. 3,155,411 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 11,664,123 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DIS. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Argus raised their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $136.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $104.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. One research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.29.

Walt Disney Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $184.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 110.36, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $110.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.70.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 1.90%. The firm had revenue of $22.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In other 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was 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 directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $106.03 per share, with a total value of $2,120,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in Walt Disney by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 11,717 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Payden & Rygel Investment Group acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,113,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,731,655 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $788,751,000 after buying an additional 157,403 shares during the last quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 18.8% in the third quarter. ProVise Management Group LLC now owns 5,167 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 32.8% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,535,470 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $286,550,000 after acquiring an additional 872,829 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.