Gradient Investments LLC Raises Stock Holdings in The Walt Disney Company $DIS

Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1,897.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,357 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 108,632 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $13,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,501,484 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $19,531,759,000 after acquiring an additional 1,639,123 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 79,643,043 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $9,915,465,000 after purchasing an additional 625,893 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 39,992,231 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $4,935,928,000 after purchasing an additional 458,077 shares during the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,220,599,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,618,295,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of DIS stock opened at $110.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $197.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $109.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.58. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $80.10 and a 12 month high of $124.69.

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

Walt Disney Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on DIS shares. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Friday, November 14th. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walt Disney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $159.00 to $152.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.