Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 2,415 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 52,259 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 2,415 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $4,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS traded down $11.07 on Tuesday, hitting $105.40. The company had a trading volume of 55,026,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,064,021. The company has a market capitalization of $193.34 billion, a PE ratio of 65.06, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.21. 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 Walt Disney Company has a 12-month low of $78.73 and a 12-month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.5%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney 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 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walt Disney 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.