Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,515 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,209 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 10.6% of Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $10,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bull Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 252.3% in the third quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its holdings in Apple by 88.9% during 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. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter worth $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth $110,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $214.00 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.08 and a 52-week high of $260.10. The company has a market cap of $3.21 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $233.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.71.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Raymond James lifted their price target on Apple to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $262.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Maxim Group lifted their target price on Apple to $215.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.22.

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.