The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) Short Interest Down 5.1% in November

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 18,800,000 shares, a decline of 5.1% from the November 15th total of 19,810,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 9,620,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Walt Disney Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE DIS opened at $111.35 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $105.84 and its 200 day moving average is $98.30. Walt Disney has a twelve month low of $83.91 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The company has a market cap of $201.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 5.44% and a return on equity of 9.21%. Walt Disney’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 5.41 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.6%. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on Walt Disney from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $108.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Six investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were 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 approximately $5,005,529.10. The trade was a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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. Insiders sold 385,412 shares of company stock worth $44,153,263 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Walt Disney during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 38.0% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 443 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank raised its stake in Walt Disney by 98.1% during the third quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 517 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Walt Disney during the third quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the third quarter valued at $57,000. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.