The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,660,000 shares, an increase of 5.4% from the March 15th total of 18,650,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,560,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total value of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mcdonald Partners LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 17,975 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,199,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 2.0% in the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,649 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $569,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,993 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,137 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Destiny Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 2.9% in the first quarter. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DIS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price target on Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Walt Disney from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Walt Disney from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.54.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $0.74 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $113.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,603,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,156,949. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $207.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.14. Walt Disney has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Walt Disney will post 4.66 EPS for the current year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Stockholders 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 presently 18.52%.

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.