Acute Investment Advisory LLC Trims Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Acute Investment Advisory LLC decreased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,426 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 222 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 0.4% of Acute Investment Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Acute Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Drystone LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 252.3% during 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. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its position in Apple by 88.9% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Apple in the third quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Apple during the third quarter valued at about $77,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 2.7 %

AAPL stock opened at $217.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.27 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $230.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.26. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.08 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price objective on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.52.

About Apple

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.