Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 241,907 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 4,539 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.9% of Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $53,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,395,785,512 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $349,532,608,000 after purchasing an additional 49,168,843 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 340,164,913 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $84,999,145,000 after purchasing an additional 6,307,413 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,868,648,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Apple by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after buying an additional 20,079,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 104,706,358 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $26,220,566,000 after buying an additional 13,137,968 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Apple Stock Performance
Shares of AAPL stock opened at $229.31 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.16. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.21 and a 52 week high of $260.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $213.77 and a 200-day moving average of $212.93.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $94.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $88.64 billion. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.40 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.78%.
Apple declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the iPhone maker to repurchase up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $173.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $217.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $237.01.
Read Our Latest Analysis on AAPL
Insider Transactions at Apple
In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 34,821 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.20, for a total value of $7,772,047.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.
Apple Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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