Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Has $2.96 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,408 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 91 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 1.4% of Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ryan Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter valued at $58,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter worth about $99,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $252.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $169.21 and a one year high of $260.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $216.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.74 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 11th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,199 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $247.39, for a total transaction of $1,038,790.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,168,373.35. This trade represents a 32.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 43,013 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.39, for a total transaction of $11,071,116.07. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,181,866.93. This trade represents a 23.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 259,121 shares of company stock valued at $65,358,981 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wedbush set a $310.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Moffett Nathanson upgraded Apple from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $248.29.

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.