Apexium Financial LP Boosts Stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apexium Financial LP increased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 210,899 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,926 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.2% of Apexium Financial LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Apexium Financial LP’s holdings in Apple were worth $52,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bull Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 252.3% during the third quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the third quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in Apple in the 3rd quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the third quarter worth about $110,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $215.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.92. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.08 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $232.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.47. The company has a market capitalization of $3.23 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Partners set a $230.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

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.