The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Holdings Decreased by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 154,146 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 818 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $18,861,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DIS. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,443,502 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $13,673,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555,748 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 44,318,444 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,592,010,000 after acquiring an additional 195,512 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,938,647,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,943,052 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $897,758,000 after acquiring an additional 211,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,204,256 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $650,472,000 after acquiring an additional 309,376 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $133.00 price target on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Argus upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.44.

Walt Disney Stock Performance

Walt Disney stock traded down $0.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $97.18. 4,751,839 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,464,502. The firm has a market cap of $177.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.93, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $78.73 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $104.76 and a 200 day moving average of $104.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.09. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.37% and a net margin of 1.90%. The firm had revenue of $22.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total value of $466,400.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $466,400.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.