Victory Capital Management Inc. Trims Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 607,875 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 6,200 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $54,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the 4th quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $113.66 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $114.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.60. The company has a market capitalization of $208.49 billion, a PE ratio of 70.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on DIS. Barclays raised shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.08.

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.