Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Symmetry Partners LLC

Symmetry Partners LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Rating) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,530 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 42,971 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.2% of Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $20,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Robinson Value Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 75.4% during the third quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 249 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Cheyne Capital Management UK LLP lifted its stake in Apple by 200.0% during the third quarter. Cheyne Capital Management UK LLP now owns 275 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Ramsey Quantitative Systems acquired a new stake in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 57.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $155.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.30. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $124.17 and a 12 month high of $179.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $146.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.32.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.93 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $117.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.67 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 163.45% and a net margin of 24.56%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 6.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 16th. Investors of record on Monday, February 13th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is an increase from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Cowen cut their target price on shares of Apple from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $167.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, Cowen cut their price target on shares of Apple from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and twenty-six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.24.

About Apple

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Apple, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and other varieties of related services. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan, and Rest of Asia Pacific. The Americas segment includes North and South America.