Williams Financial LLC Takes $12.63 Million Position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Williams Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 59,964 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $12,630,000. Apple comprises 3.2% of Williams Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Apple by 17.9% during the first quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 206,455 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 31,278 shares in the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the first quarter worth about $140,000. Hoese & Co LLP grew its position in Apple by 6.7% during the second quarter. Hoese & Co LLP now owns 912 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $175,000 after buying an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Sage Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Benchmark Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $208,000. 60.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $222.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.93, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.07 and a 1-year high of $237.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $227.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.03.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $94.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.52 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.44% and a return on equity of 147.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 6.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 14th. Investors of record on Monday, November 11th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 11th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 15.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Apple to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. New Street Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Cfra lifted their price objective on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $236.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.44, for a total transaction of $20,644,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 191,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,542,136.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Apple news, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.44, for a total transaction of $20,644,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 191,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,542,136.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 61,019 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.20, for a total transaction of $13,802,497.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 187,043 shares in the company, valued at $42,309,126.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 517,924 shares of company stock valued at $114,786,399. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company 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.