Fernwood Investment Management LLC Decreases Stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Fernwood Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,250 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 1,481 shares during the quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $1,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% in the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 380 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the third quarter valued at $35,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.6 %

DIS traded down $0.67 on Monday, reaching $112.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,167,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,728,643. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.18 and its 200 day moving average is $99.86. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The stock has a market cap of $205.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Walt Disney’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.