Milestone Asset Management LLC Buys 12,766 Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Milestone Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 27.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,931 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,766 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 3.3% of Milestone Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Milestone Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $15,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bull Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Apple in the third quarter worth $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth $110,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of AAPL opened at $223.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.08 and a 12 month high of $260.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $231.35 and its 200-day moving average is $233.43.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 15.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised Apple to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Apple from $253.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Apple from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of Apple to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $262.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.65.

Apple 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.