Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Position Reduced by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,555,963 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 218,768 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for about 4.6% of Candriam S.C.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Apple were worth $748,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bellwether Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 387.3% during the second quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 24,349 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,128,000 after buying an additional 19,352 shares during the period. WT Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $80,057,000. Councilmark Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter valued at $11,776,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Apple by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 16,745,201 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,526,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,557,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 62.0% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 151,991 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $32,012,000 after purchasing an additional 58,153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.41% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $236.48 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $226.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $208.86. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.07 and a 52 week high of $237.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.63 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.78, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.24.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $85.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.43 billion. Apple had a net margin of 26.44% and a return on equity of 147.15%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.26 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 6.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $205.00 to $212.92 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $186.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Melius Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 223,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.46, for a total value of $50,275,897.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,280,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $736,269,202.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Apple news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 223,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.46, for a total transaction of $50,275,897.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,280,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $736,269,202.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 100,000 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.44, for a total transaction of $20,644,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 191,543 shares in the company, valued at $39,542,136.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 517,924 shares of company stock valued at $114,786,399. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.