Alphadyne Asset Management LP Acquires Shares of 44,708 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Alphadyne Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 44,708 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $11,196,000. Apple comprises approximately 1.8% of Alphadyne Asset Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alteri Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,719,000. AmeriServ Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $3,244,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 997,698 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $249,844,000 after purchasing an additional 250,334 shares during the period. Apex Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth $2,972,000. Finally, Arrowroot Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Arrowroot Family Office LLC now owns 18,305 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $4,584,000 after purchasing an additional 4,970 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $196.45 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.21 and a 12 month high of $260.10. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $201.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.02. The firm has a market cap of $2.93 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.20%.

Apple declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the iPhone maker to purchase up to 3.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James cut their target price on Apple from $250.00 to $230.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Apple from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $234.86.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,570 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $941,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 4,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,214. The trade was a 50.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 108,136 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.65, for a total transaction of $24,184,616.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,280,295 shares in the company, valued at $733,637,976.75. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 191,507 shares of company stock valued at $42,694,080. 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.

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