Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Nikulski Financial Inc.

Nikulski Financial Inc. trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,330 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,776 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 5.7% of Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Nikulski Financial Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $19,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Grange Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $2,171,000. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Apple by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 58,088 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $14,546,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the period. Fenimore Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Apple by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Fenimore Asset Management Inc now owns 13,773 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,449,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 33,119 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,294,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 50,600 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,671,000 after purchasing an additional 2,422 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James increased their price target on Apple to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.22.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $214.00 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $233.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.21 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.08 and a 52 week high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 15.87%.

Apple 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.