Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Stock Price Down 0.5%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)’s stock price fell 0.5% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $111.32 and last traded at $112.26. 1,437,560 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 11,723,553 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.77.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on DIS. Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 25th. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. 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 objective on the stock. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, 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 research report on Monday, April 8th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.08.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.18 and its 200-day moving average is $99.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.59, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mcdonald Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.5% in the first quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,199,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.5% in the first quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 5,894 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $721,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 2.0% in the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,649 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $569,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% in the first quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,993 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,100,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McLean Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.2% in the first quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,137 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently 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.