Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation, twenty-one have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $243.65.

Several research firms have commented on AAPL. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Apple from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Drystone LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 252.3% in 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 bought a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $223.75 on Friday. Apple has a twelve month low of $164.08 and a twelve month high of $260.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $231.35 and its 200-day moving average is $233.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 15.87%.

About Apple

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.