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

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 220,269 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 132% compared to the average volume of 94,757 call options.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 38.0% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at about $51,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on DIS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.57.

Walt Disney Trading Up 5.5 %

Shares of DIS traded up $5.96 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $115.08. The company had a trading volume of 32,048,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,005,124. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $208.71 billion, a PE ratio of 44.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.40. Walt Disney has a 1-year low of $83.91 and a 1-year high of $123.74. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.79.

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.