Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by BSW Wealth Partners

BSW Wealth Partners reduced its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 8.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 101,023 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 9,148 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 3.4% of BSW Wealth Partners’ holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. BSW Wealth Partners’ holdings in Apple were worth $22,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Advanced Portfolio Management LLC now owns 13,815 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Family Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,910 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $4,235,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 16,682 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,178,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC now owns 15,940 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,992,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Disciplined Investments LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Disciplined Investments LLC now owns 7,166 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,794,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Trading Up 4.2%

AAPL opened at $229.35 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.21 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $206.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $213.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $88.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to buyback $100.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the iPhone maker to purchase up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Apple from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 25th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, August 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded shares of Apple to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $237.60.

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.