Affiance Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Affiance Financial LLC grew its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 51,646 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 3.1% of Affiance Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Affiance Financial LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $12,933,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. raised its holdings in Apple by 254.9% during the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 107,030 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $22,543,000 after purchasing an additional 76,870 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Oak Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,442,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $11,587,000. Gibson Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 15.0% in the second quarter. Gibson Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,894 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,452,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 13.2% in the second quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 275,702 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $58,068,000 after acquiring an additional 32,203 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $214.00 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $233.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.08 and a 1 year high of $260.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on AAPL. Maxim Group upped their target price on shares of Apple to $215.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Apple to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. DA Davidson set a $290.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.22.

Apple 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.