Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Grows Stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,095,220 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 4,158 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 4.9% of Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Apple were worth $274,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Drystone LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $110,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 4.2 %

Shares of AAPL opened at $190.42 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.08 and a 1-year high of $260.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $223.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.86 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 15.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Apple from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Maxim Group increased their target price on Apple to $215.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Apple from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $202.33 to $167.88 in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price target on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $240.26.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 108,136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.65, for a total value of $24,184,616.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,280,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $733,637,976.75. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 38,822 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.67, for a total transaction of $8,683,316.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 179,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,072,269.86. This represents a 17.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 182,451 shares of company stock worth $40,818,720. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.