Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Holdings Lifted by Channing Global Advisors LLC

Channing Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 42.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,016 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,219 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.5% of Channing Global Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Channing Global Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Drystone LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $110,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Moffett Nathanson reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $188.00 price objective (down previously from $202.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. KeyCorp upgraded Apple from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Apple from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $202.33 to $167.88 in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Apple from $270.00 to $245.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.85.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $194.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.92 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $220.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.08 and a 12 month high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.87%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 35,493 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.01, for a total value of $7,950,786.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 390,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,377,116.59. This trade represents a 8.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 38,822 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.67, for a total value of $8,683,316.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 179,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,072,269.86. This represents a 17.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 182,451 shares of company stock worth $40,818,720 in the last three months. 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.