Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Bought by Blue Square Asset Management LLC

Blue Square Asset Management LLC raised its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,983 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.9% of Blue Square Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Blue Square Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. O Connor Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. O Connor Financial Group LLC now owns 3,578 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $896,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,654 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,249,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,489 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Menard Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 12,221 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,848,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 3,775 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $212.69 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.08 and a 12 month high of $260.10. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.60. The firm has a market cap of $3.20 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.76, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Apple’s payout ratio is 15.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on AAPL. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed 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 issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.65.

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.