Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Holdings Lifted by Optas LLC

Optas LLC grew its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,225 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,818 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 4.3% of Optas LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Optas LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $20,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Drystone LLC bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 252.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the third quarter worth $110,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on AAPL shares. Loop Capital cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Redburn Partners set a $230.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Maxim Group lifted their target price on Apple to $215.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.52.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $223.19 on Wednesday. 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 50 day moving average price of $230.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.43. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.08 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.35 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 15.87%.

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.