James P. Gorman Acquires 20,000 Shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Stock

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,170,116.01. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Walt Disney stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $105.80. 14,945,125 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,135,098. The stock has a market cap of $194.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.48 and its 200 day moving average is $101.24. 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 52-week low of $78.73 and a 52-week high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 3.36%. The company had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 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 boosted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Argus increased their price target on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.46.

Walt Disney Company 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.