Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Trading Down 1.6% - Time to Sell?

Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) traded down 1.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $219.62 and last traded at $220.34. 11,014,024 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 52,235,921 shares. The stock had previously closed at $223.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Maxim Group raised their price target on Apple to $215.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Apple to $236.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Apple from $275.00 to $252.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on Apple to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $245.52.

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Apple Trading Up 1.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.18. The business's fifty day moving average price is $230.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.43.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apple

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Drystone LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bull Oak Capital LLC increased its position in Apple by 252.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bull Oak Capital LLC now owns 155 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Conquis Financial LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new stake in Apple during the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

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.