Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Trading Down 0.6% Following Insider Selling

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) dropped 0.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $121.29 and last traded at $122.08. Approximately 3,095,097 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 12,408,365 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.82.

Specifically, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.13.

Walt Disney Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.31, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.67 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. S. R. Schill & Associates increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 208.8% during the first quarter. S. R. Schill & Associates now owns 7,726 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 5,224 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.5% in the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 21,090 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,581,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.9% in the first quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,392 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,516,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 17.6% in the first quarter. Orrstown Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,339 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 0.3% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 45,770 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $5,600,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

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.