Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Reduced by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lowered its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,466,402 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 178,944 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 4.9% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,880,642,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple during the first quarter worth about $58,000. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $239.69 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $260.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $219.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.11.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The firm had revenue of $94.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $88.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Moffett Nathanson raised Apple from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 34,821 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.20, for a total value of $7,772,047.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,508,538.40. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company 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.