Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Trading Down 2.1%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s stock price dropped 2.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $110.39 and last traded at $111.54. Approximately 2,556,106 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 11,783,065 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.92.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Macquarie lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $206.80 billion, a PE ratio of 69.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $114.15 and its 200-day moving average is $99.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The company 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Trian Fund Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 411.6% during the third 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 last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $1,938,647,000. ValueAct Holdings L.P. purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $459,245,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the third quarter worth $326,171,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Walt Disney by 8,681.3% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,349,709 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $302,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,311,563 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is 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.