Global Trust Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,466 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 5.1% of Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Global Trust Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $13,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in 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 period. Hershey Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in Apple by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 1.7 %

AAPL stock opened at $216.98 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.08 and a 1-year high of $260.10. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $235.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.00. 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 market capitalization of $3.26 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. Equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share 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. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 15.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $97,474,301.68. This trade represents a 20.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.