Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by New England Research & Management Inc.

New England Research & Management Inc. decreased its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 35,820 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 528 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 4.6% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Bull Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its position in Apple by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter worth about $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $110,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $223.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.92. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.08 and a 52 week high of $260.10. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.43. The firm has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Apple’s payout ratio is 15.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson set a $290.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Redburn Partners set a $230.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

Apple 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.