Walt Disney Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 187,122 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 100% compared to the typical daily volume of 93,440 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the second quarter worth approximately $355,673,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 12,574.4% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,426,393 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $329,585,000 after buying an additional 3,399,359 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 8.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,416,668 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,310,539,000 after buying an additional 2,765,389 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 114.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,307,794 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $414,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,298,921 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 112.0% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,142,991 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $398,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,188,610 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS opened at $113.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $83.91 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a 50 day moving average of $104.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.12. The company has a market capitalization of $205.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Walt Disney’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on DIS. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Raymond James restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.67.

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.