The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Short Interest Up 10.1% in June

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,550,000 shares, an increase of 10.1% from the May 31st total of 17,750,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 10,410,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $98.02 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $178.69 billion, a PE ratio of 106.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $104.76 and its 200-day moving average is $104.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.75. Walt Disney has a 52 week low of $78.73 and a 52 week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.12 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 1.90% and a return on equity of 8.37%. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director James P. Gorman acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares in the company, valued at $2,170,116.01. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DIS. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 490.9% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 299,359 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $24,122,000 after purchasing an additional 248,695 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 10.5% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,343 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,892,000 after purchasing an additional 2,217 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 6.3% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 9,334 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Walt Disney by 1.7% in the third quarter. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. now owns 273,956 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $22,204,000 after purchasing an additional 4,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakeshore Financial Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $292,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.50.

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.