Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 156,224 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 51% compared to the average volume of 103,437 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DIS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Walt Disney in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Redburn Atlantic raised Walt Disney from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Monday, April 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walt Disney presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Walt Disney news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director James P. Gorman bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly 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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Partnership Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Walt Disney by 355.3% during the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walt Disney Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $99.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $78.73 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.66. The company has a market capitalization of $181.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 107.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.40.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $22.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.