Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Makes New Investment in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 5,244 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $518,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Walt Disney by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,482,309 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $4,272,590,000 after buying an additional 809,989 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,242,415 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,476,693,000 after acquiring an additional 2,096,431 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,415,427,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,104,295 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,904,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300,912 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Walt Disney by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 16,867,017 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,878,142,000 after purchasing an additional 3,016,339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.84, for a total value of $110,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 46,831 shares in the company, valued at $5,190,748.04. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Walt Disney from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Barclays lifted their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walt Disney presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.96.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.1%

DIS stock opened at $118.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.54. The Walt Disney Company has a 52-week low of $80.10 and a 52-week high of $120.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.79.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.24. Walt Disney had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The firm had revenue of $23.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

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.