Apple Inc. $AAPL Holdings Increased by MLP3 LLC

MLP3 LLC grew its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,567 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,101 shares during the period. Apple comprises 3.3% of MLP3 LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. MLP3 LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $3,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter worth $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 136.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,490,000 after purchasing an additional 21,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Melius Research set a $370.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $340.00 price target (up from $296.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $347.11.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $355.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company’s 50-day moving average is $337.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.06. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $355.91.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The iPhone maker reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $114.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $113.40 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.60% and a return on equity of 125.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.04%.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.75, for a total value of $781,474.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 29,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,771,522.75. The trade was a 7.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,615,190.20. The trade was a 25.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 290,212 shares of company stock valued at $96,639,685 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here’s some of the latest news about AAPL:

• Positive Sentiment: China Renaissance upgraded Apple to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $425, citing growth potential from Apple’s first foldable iPhone. The bullish outlook helped support shares. Analyst raises Apple price target to $425
• Positive Sentiment: Reports point to strong iPhone demand and a record quarterly revenue result, while the foldable iPhone could provide a new growth opportunity. A faster Siri AI roadmap may also strengthen Apple’s longer-term product story.
• Negative Sentiment: Memory-chip prices are creating a margin headwind. Apple’s December-quarter gross-margin outlook of 45%–46% was reported below analysts’ 46.3% expectation, tempering the positive impact of strong sales. Apple faces memory-cost pressure despite record quarter

About Apple

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods, along with operating systems and applications such as iOS, macOS and iPadOS. The company also offers services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Pay. These products and services are integrated across Apple’s devices and are sold to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple serves customers globally through online and retail stores, wireless carriers and other resellers.