GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Has $32.83 Million Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 131,109 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 5,825 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 4.2% of GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $32,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.7% in the third quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC now owns 64,015 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $14,916,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Amara Financial LLC. acquired a new position in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 69,824 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,269,000 after acquiring an additional 2,565 shares during the period. Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 253,743 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $59,122,000 after purchasing an additional 28,799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 4.2% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 96,589 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $22,505,000 after purchasing an additional 3,935 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $222.13 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.08 and a 12 month high of $260.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $230.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.42.

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 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%. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Partners set a $230.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $262.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.