Apple Inc. $AAPL Holdings Raised by Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc.

Key Points

• Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. increased its holdings in Apple Inc. by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, now owning 8,086 shares valued at approximately $1,796,000.
• Several other hedge funds also ramped up their positions in Apple, with Liberty Wealth Management increasing its holdings by an astonishing 1,993.5% to own over 2.4 million shares worth approximately $542.7 million.
• Apple's recent earnings report indicated an EPS of $1.57, exceeding estimates, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.26, translating to an annualized yield of 0.4%.

Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 20.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,086 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 1,375 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.0% of Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Quantum Financial Planning Services Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $1,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Liberty Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 1,993.5% in the first quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,443,279 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $542,726,000 after buying an additional 2,326,570 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 69,158 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $15,362,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.3% in the first quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG now owns 504,183 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $111,814,000 after purchasing an additional 21,013 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC increased its position in Apple by 8.4% during the first quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 17,714 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,935,000 after buying an additional 1,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Santander S.A. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,075,461 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $238,892,000 after buying an additional 77,977 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AAPL stock traded down $1.94 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $237.75. 26,928,241 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 56,577,613. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $219.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $212.40. The company has a market cap of $3.53 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.11. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.21 and a 1-year high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The business had revenue of $94.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $88.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HSBC set a $220.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Apple from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $238.99.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 34,821 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.20, for a total transaction of $7,772,047.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate 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.