The Walt Disney Company to Issue Dividend of $0.75 (NYSE:DIS)

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) announced a dividend on Thursday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of 0.75 per share by the entertainment giant on Thursday, January 15th. This represents a yield of 139.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th.

Walt Disney has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2%per year over the last three years. Walt Disney has a payout ratio of 15.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Walt Disney to earn $6.13 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.3%.

Walt Disney Price Performance

DIS traded down $0.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $106.82. 5,766,402 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,421,672. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Walt Disney has a 12-month low of $80.10 and a 12-month high of $124.69. The company has a market cap of $192.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The entertainment giant reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $22.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.78 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.67% and a net margin of 12.22%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walt Disney will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC purchased a new position in Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at $4,220,599,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walt Disney in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,618,295,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Walt Disney during the first quarter valued at $1,353,607,000. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in Walt Disney during the second quarter valued at approximately $725,219,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 231.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,711,353 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $539,450,000 after purchasing an additional 3,289,707 shares in the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.