Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Shares Sold by Flossbach Von Storch SE

Flossbach Von Storch SE lessened its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,436,956 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 389,999 shares during the period. Apple comprises 4.4% of Flossbach Von Storch SE's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Flossbach Von Storch SE's holdings in Apple were worth $1,111,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc boosted its position in shares of Apple by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 59,156 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $14,814,000 after buying an additional 804 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 1,559 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 38,195 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $9,100,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 194,913 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $48,810,000 after purchasing an additional 45,801 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Able Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,779 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,950,000 after purchasing an additional 728 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 108,136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.65, for a total value of $24,184,616.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,280,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $733,637,976.75. This represents a 3.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 4,570 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $941,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,569 shares in the company, valued at $941,214. This represents a 50.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 187,021 shares of company stock valued at $41,760,140. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL traded up $1.07 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $211.21. 35,359,019 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 56,661,567. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.11 and a 12-month high of $260.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.19. The company has a market capitalization of $3.17 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.04. Apple had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 160.83%. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 15.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Loop Capital lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $263.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Apple from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Apple to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, twenty-two have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $234.31.

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.