Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by First Financial Corp IN

First Financial Corp IN lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,884 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 178 shares during the period. Apple makes up 2.4% of First Financial Corp IN’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. First Financial Corp IN’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tsfg LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 54,933 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,756,000 after acquiring an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,247,000. Marion Wealth Management grew its holdings in Apple by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 36,402 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $9,116,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 231,017 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $57,851,000 after acquiring an additional 7,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 37.0% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 698,798 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $174,993,000 after acquiring an additional 188,807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.97, for a total transaction of $24,997,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 389,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $97,474,301.68. This trade represents a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Apple to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.85.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $245.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $240.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.72. 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 $3.69 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its 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, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Apple’s payout ratio is 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.