Short Interest in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Drops By 5.1%

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 18,800,000 shares, a drop of 5.1% from the November 15th total of 19,810,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,620,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 38.0% in the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.5 %

DIS stock opened at $111.35 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.30. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change 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 presently 36.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen raised their price target on Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.58.

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.