Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Paladin Advisory Group LLC

Paladin Advisory Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,783 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 601 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.6% of Paladin Advisory Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Paladin Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 252.3% in the third 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 period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its position in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new stake in Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the 3rd quarter worth about $110,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $220.73 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.08 and a 1 year high of $260.10. The company’s 50-day moving average is $231.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $3.32 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.04, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. Equities analysts anticipate 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, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Apple to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.65.

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.