Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Bought by Motiv8 Investments LLC

Motiv8 Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,238 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 1.2% of Motiv8 Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Motiv8 Investments LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Pillar Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $82,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $96,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 4,486 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total transaction of $933,940.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 15,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,233,815.27. The trade was a 22.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Trading Up 4.2%

Apple stock opened at $229.35 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $206.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $213.21.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 170.91%. The firm had revenue of $94.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $88.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 11th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 15.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Apple to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $217.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Apple from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $237.60.

About Apple

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.