Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Price Down 0.4% – Should You Sell?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was down 0.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $212.95 and last traded at $213.07. Approximately 11,455,597 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 52,860,807 shares. The stock had previously closed at $214.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James boosted their target price on Apple to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer downgraded Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.65.

Apple Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $232.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.47. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.23 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. Research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apple

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Drystone LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.