Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is Kessler Investment Group LLC’s Largest Position

Kessler Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 43,834.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,721 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,601 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 6.0% of Kessler Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Kessler Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $11,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the second quarter. Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. now owns 19,005 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $4,003,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP boosted its position in shares of Apple by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hoese & Co LLP now owns 912 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 17,156 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,942,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Whitcomb & Hess Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whitcomb & Hess Inc. now owns 3,540 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kwmg LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 0.6% during the first quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 10,640 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 60.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 8,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $1,958,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,469,275. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Apple news, insider Chris Kondo sold 8,706 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total value of $1,958,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,469,275. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.44, for a total value of $20,644,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 191,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,542,136.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 113,884 shares of company stock worth $23,723,887. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $222.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a market cap of $3.38 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.14 and a 200-day moving average of $198.63. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.07 and a 52-week high of $237.23.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 147.15% and a net margin of 26.44%. The firm had revenue of $85.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $84.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.26 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Loop Capital upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $170.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $273.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $238.62.

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.