By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Bank & Trust Co decreased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,602 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 2.7% of Bank & Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in Apple by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 654,345 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $163,861,000 after buying an additional 49,309 shares in the last quarter. Ridgeline Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $739,000. ShankerValleau Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Apple by 117.4% during the 4th quarter. ShankerValleau Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 11,110 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,782,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida lifted its position in shares of Apple by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 15,246 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,818,000 after buying an additional 3,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advance Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Advance Capital Management Inc. now owns 33,882 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,485,000 after purchasing an additional 3,977 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity
In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.97, for a total value of $24,997,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 389,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,474,301.68. This represents a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.
Apple Price Performance
Apple stock opened at $244.60 on Tuesday. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.75. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.07 and a 52-week high of $260.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.83, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.20.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Apple Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.87%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
AAPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Maxim Group boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $203.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Apple from $280.00 to $294.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $242.52.
View Our Latest Analysis on AAPL
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.
See Also
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