Sarasin & Partners LLP Has $263.21 Million Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Sarasin & Partners LLP trimmed its position in shares of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 7.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,151,134 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after selling 166,824 shares during the period. Walt Disney accounts for approximately 2.6% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned approximately 0.12% of Walt Disney worth $263,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trian Fund Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Walt Disney by 411.6% during the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 32,868,307 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $2,663,976,000 after purchasing an additional 26,443,257 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth $1,938,647,000. ValueAct Holdings L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Walt Disney in the fourth quarter valued at about $459,245,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 8,681.3% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,349,709 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $302,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,311,563 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in Walt Disney by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 6,646,336 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $600,098,000 after acquiring an additional 1,716,259 shares during the period. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walt Disney news, Director James P. Gorman purchased 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $106.03 per share, with a total value of $2,120,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,170,116.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director James P. Gorman purchased 20,000 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $106.03 per share, for a total transaction of $2,120,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 20,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,170,116.01. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total value of $466,400.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DIS traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $101.95. 2,686,167 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,369,184. The company has a market cap of $185.86 billion, a PE ratio of 110.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.40. The Walt Disney Company has a twelve month low of $78.73 and a twelve month high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.55.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.21 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 firm had revenue of $22.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Thursday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Argus raised their price objective on Walt Disney from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Walt Disney from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.50.

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.