Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Breakwater Capital Group

Breakwater Capital Group decreased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,727 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,402 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 4.3% of Breakwater Capital Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Breakwater Capital Group’s holdings in Apple were worth $15,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $560,388,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $487,435,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Apple by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 49,759,061 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,519,244,000 after purchasing an additional 2,826,709 shares during the period. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the 3rd quarter worth $461,021,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Apple by 1.0% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 206,732,960 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $35,394,751,000 after purchasing an additional 2,018,010 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.41% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $169.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $173.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.79. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $164.07 and a one year high of $199.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The iPhone maker reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $119.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.99 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 156.04% and a net margin of 26.16%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 6.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 9th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.95%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 59,162 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.22, for a total transaction of $10,188,879.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 489,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,378,155.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 59,162 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.22, for a total value of $10,188,879.64. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 489,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,378,155.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 99,183 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.03, for a total value of $16,864,085.49. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,377,407 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $574,260,512.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 366,271 shares of company stock worth $63,653,887. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $189.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Apple from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Piper Sandler Companies downgraded shares of Apple to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Apple from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $208.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.05.

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.