Custom Index Systems LLC Grows Stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Custom Index Systems LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,884 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,418 shares during the period. Apple comprises 5.8% of Custom Index Systems LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Custom Index Systems LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $10,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. O Connor Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. O Connor Financial Group LLC now owns 3,578 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $896,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the third quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,654 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 12,221 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,848,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Apple by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 3,775 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $217.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $230.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.26. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.08 and a 1-year high of $260.10.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 31st. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $262.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Apple to $236.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.52.

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.