Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Acquired by Busey Bank

Busey Bank increased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,027,580 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,467 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 8.4% of Busey Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Busey Bank’s holdings in Apple were worth $257,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Drystone LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 252.3% in the third quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in Apple during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $77,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price target on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Redburn Partners set a $230.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four investment 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $223.75 on Wednesday. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.43. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.52, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.08 and a twelve month high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.87%.

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.