Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Purchased by Strategic Advocates LLC

Strategic Advocates LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,689 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,338 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 3.3% of Strategic Advocates LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Strategic Advocates LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $9,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Drystone LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 252.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 306 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the third quarter worth $71,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the third quarter valued at $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $223.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.08 and a 12 month high of $260.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $230.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.28. The company has a market cap of $3.36 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Apple from $255.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $243.65.

About Apple

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.