Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Reduced by StrongBox Wealth LLC

StrongBox Wealth LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,660 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,049 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.4% of StrongBox Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. StrongBox Wealth LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $7,928,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its stake in shares of Apple by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.97, for a total value of $24,997,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 389,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $97,474,301.68. This trade represents a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Trading Up 1.9 %

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $241.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.63 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.07 and a 52-week high of $260.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $239.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. Equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Moffett Nathanson reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective (down from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. KeyCorp reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson set a $290.00 price objective on Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.88.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod.