Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by tru Independence LLC

tru Independence LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,783 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,498 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 2.7% of tru Independence LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. tru Independence LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bull Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the third quarter worth about $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on AAPL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson restated a “sell” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective (down from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.65.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $214.10 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.08 and a 52 week high of $260.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.22 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.98, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $232.19 and a 200-day moving average of $233.33.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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 0.47%. Apple’s payout ratio is 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.