Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock Holdings Reduced by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,701 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 484 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 2.5% of S.A. Mason LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $4,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Pillar Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of AAPL opened at $202.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.16. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.21 and a 1 year high of $260.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $205.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $213.24.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $94.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $88.64 billion. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.40 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the iPhone maker to buy up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Investors of record on Monday, August 11th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 11th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $933,940.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 15,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,233,815.27. This trade represents a 22.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Apple from an “underweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Apple from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Scotiabank cut shares of Apple to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $237.25.

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.