Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Sells 7,020 Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 141,953 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 7,020 shares during the period. Apple makes up 3.4% of Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $35,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Drystone LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 252.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased 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 purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter valued at about $77,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $221.53 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $231.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.35. The company has a market capitalization of $3.33 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a PEG 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 quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. 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 presently 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Apple to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.