Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Webster Bank N. A.

Webster Bank N. A. lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 245,113 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 548 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 5.8% of Webster Bank N. A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Apple were worth $47,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $560,388,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Apple in the 3rd quarter worth $487,435,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 49,759,061 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,519,244,000 after purchasing an additional 2,826,709 shares during the period. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter worth about $461,021,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.0% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 206,732,960 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $35,394,751,000 after buying an additional 2,018,010 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Apple from $186.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Maxim Group initiated coverage on Apple in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $178.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Apple from $185.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $166.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $203.05.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $166.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $173.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.03. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $162.80 and a fifty-two week high of $199.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The iPhone maker reported $2.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $119.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.99 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 156.04% and a net margin of 26.16%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.95%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.94, for a total value of $18,094,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,434,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $802,392,181.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 54,732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.91, for a total value of $9,244,782.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 136,572 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,068,376.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.94, for a total value of $18,094,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,434,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $802,392,181.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 366,271 shares of company stock worth $63,653,887 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.