Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 6.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,058,923 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 144,890 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.11% of Walt Disney worth $198,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Walt Disney in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank boosted its stake in Walt Disney by 98.1% in the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Walt Disney during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total value of $568,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total transaction of $42,667,242.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,767 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,980,695.19. This trade represents a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DIS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie upped their target price on Walt Disney from $91.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.58.

Walt Disney Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of DIS opened at $111.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $201.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.10, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. The Walt Disney Company has a 12 month low of $83.91 and a 12 month high of $123.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $106.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. Analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is 36.90%.

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.