Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Increased by Stratos Investment Management LLC

Stratos Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,480 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 4,205 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 1.1% of Stratos Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $24,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Nexus Investment Management ULC increased its stake in Apple by 333.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 260 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 43,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total transaction of $11,071,116.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,181,866.93. The trade was a 23.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 47,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.79, for a total value of $12,101,228.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 179,158 shares in the company, valued at $46,005,982.82. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,052 shares of company stock valued at $58,604,588 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $272.41 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $277.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $255.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $226.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 41.34, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The iPhone maker reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $102.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.65 billion. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.64 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Apple from $220.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Melius Research set a $345.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Apple and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Moffett Nathanson upgraded Apple from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.22.

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.