Ariel Investments LLC Acquires New Stake in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Ariel Investments LLC acquired a new stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 172,170 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $21,351,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of DIS. Stamos Capital Partners L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 26.2% in the second quarter. Stamos Capital Partners L.P. now owns 33,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,141,000 after buying an additional 6,931 shares in the last quarter. BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $362,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 61.1% in the second quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,000 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,108,000 after purchasing an additional 6,450 shares in the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd lifted its position in Walt Disney by 120.0% during the second quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 15,053 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,867,000 after buying an additional 8,210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its position in Walt Disney by 9.0% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 214,421 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $26,590,000 after buying an additional 17,734 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $107.04 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $109.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.64. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $80.10 and a 52-week high of $124.69. The firm has a market cap of $191.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.49.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $22.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.78 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.37% and a net margin of 13.14%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a yield of 139.0%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 21.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $141.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, October 17th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.41.

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.