Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its stake in Apple Inc. by 1.5% during the second quarter, holding over 2 million shares valued at approximately $429.6 million.
• In the latest earnings report, Apple exceeded analysts' expectations with $1.57 EPS and $94.04 billion in revenue, reflecting a 9.6% year-over-year increase.
• Apple announced a quarterly dividend of $0.26 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 0.4% and a dividend payout ratio of 15.78%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. raised its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,093,918 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 30,567 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 5.6% of ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Apple were worth $429,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Elite Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple in the first quarter valued at approximately $58,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Apple during the first quarter valued at approximately $99,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of AAPL opened at $258.45 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.22, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $265.29. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $242.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $218.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $94.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $88.64 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 170.91% and a net margin of 24.30%.Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Apple from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $279.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on Apple from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Phillip Securities lowered shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $252.47.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 43,013 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total transaction of $11,071,116.07. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,181,866.93. This represents a 23.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 129,963 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.81, for a total transaction of $33,375,798.03. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $842,412,558.95. This trade represents a 3.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 259,121 shares of company stock worth $65,358,981 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.