Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Increases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,331 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DIS. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 77,596,191 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $7,463,978,000 after buying an additional 490,681 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Walt Disney by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,883,983 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,477,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,449,730 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 3.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,281,047 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,417,958,000 after purchasing an additional 425,438 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 13,850,678 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,332,297,000 after purchasing an additional 454,678 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $116.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $211.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $102.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.69. 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 Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on DIS shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walt Disney

In related 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 transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This trade represents a 10.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This trade represents 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.

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.