Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Greenwoods Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd.

Greenwoods Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd. lessened its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 744,308 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 12,400 shares during the period. Apple makes up 5.9% of Greenwoods Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Greenwoods Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd.'s holdings in Apple were worth $186,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Drystone LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $77,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $140,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of AAPL traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $211.26. 53,614,750 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 55,997,127. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $260.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $3.16 trillion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $206.09 and a 200 day moving average of $226.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.03. Apple had a return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. The business had revenue of $95.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.20%.

Apple declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the iPhone maker to buy up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Maxim Group boosted their target price on shares of Apple to $215.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Apple from $270.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $933,940.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,233,815.27. This trade represents a 22.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 108,136 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.65, for a total value of $24,184,616.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,280,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $733,637,976.75. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 191,507 shares of company stock valued at $42,694,080. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Apple

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.