Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Position Raised by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 727,580 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 17,663 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 1.5% of Greenleaf Trust's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Apple were worth $161,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC now owns 13,815 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Salus Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Apple by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Salus Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,310 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Investments LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Disciplined Investments LLC now owns 7,166 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,794,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp increased its stake in Apple by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Redwood Financial Network Corp now owns 8,720 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,184,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mission Hills Financial Advisory LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Mission Hills Financial Advisory LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $229.31 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $260.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business's fifty day moving average price is $213.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $212.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.14. Apple had a return on equity of 170.91% and a net margin of 24.30%.The firm had revenue of $94.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $88.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.40 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the iPhone maker to repurchase up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 34,821 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.20, for a total value of $7,772,047.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,508,538.40. This trade represents a 20.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Apple from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Apple from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $237.01.

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.

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