Becker Capital Management Inc. Has $26.29 Million Stock Position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Becker Capital Management Inc. increased its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 235,018 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $26,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $2,415,427,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Walt Disney by 75.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 10,858,108 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $1,209,050,000 after buying an additional 4,680,930 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 19,197,463 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $2,137,637,000 after purchasing an additional 3,636,742 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $358,151,000. Finally, Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the 4th quarter valued at about $350,707,000. 65.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Walt Disney stock opened at $91.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.80 billion, a PE ratio of 29.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $96.20 and its 200 day moving average is $104.20. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $80.10 and a 1 year high of $118.63.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The entertainment giant reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 6.07%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DIS. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Walt Disney from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Prescient Securities decreased their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.75.

Walt Disney 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.