Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Sonora Investment Management Group LLC

Sonora Investment Management Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 273,268 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,678 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 5.2% of Sonora Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $68,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Drystone LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in Apple by 252.3% during 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 last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc boosted its holdings in Apple by 88.9% during the third 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. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter worth about $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $223.85 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.28. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.08 and a 1-year high of $260.10. The company has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.53, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. On average, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.45%. Apple’s payout ratio is 15.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Moffett Nathanson reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $188.00 target price (down previously from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.