CapWealth Advisors LLC Has $19.58 Million Stock Position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

CapWealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,205 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,584 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 2.1% of CapWealth Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. CapWealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $19,584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. O Connor Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. O Connor Financial Group LLC now owns 3,578 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $896,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,654 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,249,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 12,221 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,848,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 3,775 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Family Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,910 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $4,235,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL traded up $6.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $205.83. 13,793,166 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 56,640,486. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.92 and a 1 year high of $260.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.09 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.67, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.26. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $217.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.69.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on AAPL. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $263.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Apple from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Apple from $270.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $235.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 35,493 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.01, for a total value of $7,950,786.93. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 390,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,377,116.59. This represents a 8.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 38,822 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.67, for a total value of $8,683,316.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 179,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,072,269.86. The trade was a 17.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 182,451 shares of company stock valued at $40,818,720. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.