Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Decreased by Southern Capital Advisors LLC

Southern Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,916 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 416 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 2.8% of Southern Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Southern Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Drystone LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in Apple by 88.9% in the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new position in Apple during the third quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $223.85 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $230.94 and its 200 day moving average is $233.28. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.53, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Shareholders 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 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. KeyCorp reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple currently 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.