Transform Wealth LLC Grows Stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Transform Wealth LLC increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 293,349 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,316 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 4.1% of Transform Wealth LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Transform Wealth LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $73,460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its stake in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $77,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $227.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.42 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $237.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.16. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.08 and a 1-year high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS 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, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.87%.

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 value of $24,997,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 389,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $97,474,301.68. This trade represents a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Maxim Group upped their price target on shares of Apple to $215.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.88.

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.