Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stake Lowered by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 422,593 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 7,211 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.8% of Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $105,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC now owns 64,015 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $14,916,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Amara Financial LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $288,000. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Apple by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 69,824 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,269,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its holdings in Apple by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 253,743 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $59,122,000 after buying an additional 28,799 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 4.2% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 96,589 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $22,505,000 after buying an additional 3,935 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Moffett Nathanson reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $188.00 price target (down from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $262.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

Apple Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Apple stock opened at $220.73 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $231.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.32 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.08 and a 52-week high of $260.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.87%.

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.