The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) to Issue Semi-annual Dividend of $0.50

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) declared a semi-annual dividend on Thursday, December 5th,Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 24th will be paid a dividend of 0.50 per share by the entertainment giant on Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 24th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $116.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $210.97 billion, a PE ratio of 42.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $102.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.59. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on DIS shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.67.

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.