Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Acquired by Augustine Asset Management Inc.

Augustine Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 140,156 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 6,641 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 9.2% of Augustine Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Augustine Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $35,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Drystone LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 252.3% during 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 period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda bought a new position in Apple in the 3rd quarter worth $71,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new stake in Apple during the third quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the third quarter worth about $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Tigress Financial raised their price target on Apple from $295.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $263.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $235.85.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 35,493 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.01, for a total value of $7,950,786.93. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 390,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $87,377,116.59. This trade represents a 8.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 38,822 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.67, for a total value of $8,683,316.74. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 179,158 shares in the company, valued at $40,072,269.86. This trade represents a 17.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 182,451 shares of company stock worth $40,818,720 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL traded up $2.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $196.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 51,328,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 56,870,940. The firm's 50 day moving average is $219.65 and its 200-day moving average is $230.08. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.26. 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 fifty-two week low of $164.08 and a fifty-two week high of $260.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 160.83% and a net margin of 24.30%. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.87%.

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.