The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Short Interest Update

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) saw a large decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,550,000 shares, a decline of 6.2% from the December 15th total of 20,850,000 shares. Approximately 1.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 9,150,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on DIS. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $122.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.54.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.74, for a total transaction of $917,920.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,054,870.70. The trade was a 15.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s 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 owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at $25,980,695.19. This represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. Birch Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Finally, First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS traded up $0.61 on Friday, reaching $107.07. The stock had a trading volume of 7,103,097 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,534,095. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $112.08 and a 200-day moving average of $99.69. Walt Disney has a fifty-two week low of $83.91 and a fifty-two week high of $123.74. The company has a market capitalization of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 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.

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

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

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.