Delta Lloyd NV increased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 13.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 750,752 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 86,711 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 3.2% of Delta Lloyd NV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Delta Lloyd NV’s holdings in Apple were worth $107,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Cim Investment Mangement Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Cim Investment Mangement Inc. now owns 40,347 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,673,000 after buying an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $766,000. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $1,223,000. WESCAP Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. WESCAP Management Group Inc. now owns 12,092 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,400,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diligent Investors LLC bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth $3,440,000. Institutional investors own 61.50% of the company’s stock.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) opened at 157.86 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.53 and a 12-month high of $162.51. The stock has a market cap of $815.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92 and a beta of 1.31. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $151.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.37.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The iPhone maker reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $45.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.94 billion. Apple had a net margin of 20.87% and a return on equity of 35.40%. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post $9.02 EPS for the current year.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 14th were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 10th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 28.64%.
Apple announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, May 2nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $50.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the iPhone maker to purchase up to 6.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Apple from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 24th. UBS AG reissued a “buy” rating and set a $151.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $167.38.
In related news, insider Eduardo H. Cue sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.78, for a total value of $6,920,100.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.58, for a total transaction of $5,515,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,168,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,098,035.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 294,171 shares of company stock worth $45,707,922 in the last 90 days. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
About Apple
Apple Inc (Apple) designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. The Company’s products and services include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and OS X operating systems, iCloud, and a variety of accessory, service and support offerings.
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