Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Increased by Clean Yield Group

Clean Yield Group boosted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 105,124 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 676 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 8.4% of Clean Yield Group’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Clean Yield Group’s holdings in Apple were worth $26,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 252.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $77,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $245.55 on Friday. 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 moving average of $240.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $232.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.69 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.98, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.20. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.07 and a 52 week high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 (DPR) is 15.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $236.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Moffett Nathanson reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective (down previously from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their price objective on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $242.52.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 389,944 shares in the company, valued at $97,474,301.68. The trade was a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.