Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Curbstone Financial Management Corp

Curbstone Financial Management Corp lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 69,013 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 54 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 3.7% of Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $17,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the period. W Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 38,495 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $9,640,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Sound Stewardship LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Sound Stewardship LLC now owns 3,257 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $816,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Warner Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 19.8% during the fourth quarter. Warner Financial Inc. now owns 15,763 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,947,000 after purchasing an additional 2,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 18,577 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,652,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

AAPL opened at $218.27 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $231.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.33. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $164.08 and a 12-month high of $260.10. The firm has a market cap of $3.28 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AAPL shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Apple from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note 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 assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

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.