Lindsell Train Ltd Cuts Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Lindsell Train Ltd decreased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,458,441 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 992,971 shares during the quarter. Walt Disney accounts for approximately 12.4% of Lindsell Train Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Lindsell Train Ltd owned 0.25% of Walt Disney worth $496,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 12,574.4% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $329,585,000 after buying an additional 3,399,359 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,310,539,000 after acquiring an additional 2,765,389 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 114.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 112.0% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walt Disney by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,672,320 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,609,833,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,082 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

NYSE DIS opened at $111.02 on Friday. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $83.91 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $112.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.90.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on DIS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Macquarie restated a “neutral” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at $5,054,870.70. This represents a 15.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.