Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Two West Capital Advisors LLC

Two West Capital Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 41.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,351 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,685 shares during the quarter. Two West Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $522,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Drystone LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,570 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total value of $941,420.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 4,569 shares in the company, valued at $941,214. The trade was a 50.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $933,940.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 15,533 shares in the company, valued at $3,233,815.27. This trade represents a 22.41% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 13th. China Renaissance started coverage on Apple in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $241.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Apple to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.27.

Apple Stock Down 0.6%

AAPL opened at $211.16 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $203.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.83. 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 one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $260.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.15 trillion, a P/E ratio of 32.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.20.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $95.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $94.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the iPhone maker to reacquire up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Apple's payout ratio is 16.20%.

Apple Company 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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