Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Acquired by Stableford Capital II LLC

Stableford Capital II LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,156 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 1.2% of Stableford Capital II LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Stableford Capital II LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wyrmwood Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 69.0% in the fourth quarter. Wyrmwood Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 118.0% in the 4th quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC now owns 218 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. boosted its stake in Apple by 657.1% in the 4th quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. now owns 424 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.41% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of AAPL opened at $207.49 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.18 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.04. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.07 and a 52 week high of $220.20.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $90.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.37 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.31% and a return on equity of 148.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 6.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.48%. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.55%.

Apple announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 2nd that permits the company to buyback $110.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the iPhone maker to purchase up to 3.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on shares of Apple from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 99,183 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.03, for a total value of $16,864,085.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,377,407 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $574,260,512.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 99,183 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.03, for a total value of $16,864,085.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,377,407 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $574,260,512.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.58, for a total transaction of $14,368,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,359,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $835,207,570.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 346,270 shares of company stock valued at $60,880,196. 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.