Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Trimmed by Epiq Partners LLC

Epiq Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,834 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 48 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 2.3% of Epiq Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Epiq Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,216,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its position in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the third 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 during the period. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new stake in Apple in the third quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth $110,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $218.27 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.08 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $231.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.26. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

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, beating 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, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 topic of several research analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $262.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Apple from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Apple to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.