Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Holdings Trimmed by Birch Capital Management LLC

Birch Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,563 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 122 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 7.9% of Birch Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Birch Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $13,778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 16,802 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,877,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. High Pines Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. High Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,506 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,638,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.9% during the third quarter. Kraft Davis & Associates LLC now owns 6,716 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Asset Planning Corporation boosted its holdings in Apple by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Asset Planning Corporation now owns 6,135 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,181,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Columbus Macro LLC grew its position in Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 11,224 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 60.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $169.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.79. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.07 and a twelve month high of $199.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $119.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.99 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.16% and a return on equity of 156.04%. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.88 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Apple from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Apple from $220.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Maxim Group assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. They set a “hold” rating and a $178.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $203.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $802,392,181.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 54,732 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.91, for a total transaction of $9,244,782.12. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 100,000 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.94, for a total transaction of $18,094,000.00. Following the sale, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 366,271 shares of company stock valued at $63,653,887. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.