Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. Grows Holdings in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) by 88.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,170 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,890 shares during the period. Walt Disney comprises 2.0% of Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Walt Disney were worth $557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 355.3% during the fourth quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 346 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walt Disney during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 15,900.0% during the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 480 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sonia L. Coleman sold 1,857 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.92, for a total transaction of $226,405.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $536,448. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on DIS. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $128.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $129.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.08.

Walt Disney Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:DIS traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $113.72. The stock had a trading volume of 6,830,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,972,034. The Walt Disney Company has a 1 year low of $78.73 and a 1 year high of $123.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.10 and its 200-day moving average is $99.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The entertainment giant reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.71 billion. Walt Disney had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 7.88%. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Walt Disney Company will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walt Disney Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 8th. Walt Disney’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.52%.

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.