Caerus Investment Advisors LLC Has $3.49 Million Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Caerus Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 6.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,691 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,139 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 3.4% of Caerus Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Pillar Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $82,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $96,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $226.01 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.35 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.16. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.21 and a twelve month high of $260.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50 day moving average is $211.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The iPhone maker reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $94.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $88.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the iPhone maker to repurchase up to 3.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 34,821 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.20, for a total value of $7,772,047.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares in the company, valued at $30,508,538.40. The trade was a 20.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on AAPL shares. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Apple from $240.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Apple from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Apple from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.