jvl associates llc Decreases Holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

jvl associates llc lowered its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 47,044 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,548 shares during the period. Apple makes up 4.2% of jvl associates llc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. jvl associates llc's holdings in Apple were worth $10,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Drystone LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth $82,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL traded up $1.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $201.56. The company had a trading volume of 39,170,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,455,477. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $202.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.82. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.21 and a 12-month high of $260.10. The stock has a market cap of $3.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.22.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.03. Apple had a return on equity of 167.24% and a net margin of 24.30%. The company had revenue of $95.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.26 dividend. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.20%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $933,940.34. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,233,815.27. The trade was a 22.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,570 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $941,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $941,214. This represents a 50.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 191,507 shares of company stock worth $42,694,080. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank downgraded Apple to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their price objective on Apple to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Barclays reduced their price target on Apple from $197.00 to $173.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 13th. Three equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $234.86.

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.