Sentry LLC Lowers Stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Sentry LLC trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 30,740 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,341 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.0% of Sentry LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Sentry LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wyrmwood Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 69.0% during the fourth quarter. Wyrmwood Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Gilfoyle & Co LLC increased its position in Apple by 118.0% during the 4th quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC now owns 218 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 657.1% in the 4th quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Managment Co. now owns 424 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Luca Maestri sold 53,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.12, for a total transaction of $9,262,139.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 107,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,768,046.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Luca Maestri sold 53,194 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.12, for a total transaction of $9,262,139.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 107,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,768,046.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 99,183 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.03, for a total transaction of $16,864,085.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,377,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $574,260,512.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 366,271 shares of company stock worth $63,653,887. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:AAPL traded down $0.59 on Friday, hitting $169.30. 44,717,137 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 53,363,952. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.27. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.07 and a fifty-two week high of $199.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $173.04 and a 200-day moving average of $181.79.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The iPhone maker reported $2.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.09. Apple had a net margin of 26.16% and a return on equity of 156.04%. The business had revenue of $119.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.88 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 6.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 12th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 9th. Apple’s payout ratio is 14.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $166.00 price target for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $158.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Apple from $215.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $220.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Apple from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.05.

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.