Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Lowers Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lowered its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 170,375 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 6,302 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $15,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avitas Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,037 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $997,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 32.8% during the third quarter. WNY Asset Management LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 2,304 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.9% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,024 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,767 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $6,751,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tempus Wealth Planning LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.5% during the third quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 12,722 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DIS. Daiwa Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $136.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walt Disney Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE DIS traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.66. The stock had a trading volume of 7,411,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,776,801. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $114.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.81. The firm has a market cap of $208.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.25. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 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. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

Walt Disney Profile

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.