Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 106,784 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 31% compared to the typical daily volume of 81,656 call options.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DIS. Farmers Trust Co. raised its position in Walt Disney by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Farmers Trust Co. now owns 8,483 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,471 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Prossimo Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 8,732 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. lifted its position in Walt Disney by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 3,412 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Onefund LLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 4,856 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

DIS opened at $110.41 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $199.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.42. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $112.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.89. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on DIS. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.65.

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.