Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,097,600 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $278,560,000. Apple comprises approximately 4.9% of Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the first quarter worth about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 890.7% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after acquiring an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Trading Up 4.8%

AAPL stock opened at $308.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.53 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $201.50 and a one year high of $317.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $294.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.06%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,924 shares of company stock valued at $825,546. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $310.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $314.85.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly planning at least five new iPhone models through early 2027, including a bigger push into foldables, which could refresh demand and support a stronger upgrade cycle. Apple plans five new iPhones through 2027, eyes Chinese-made chips amid foldable push, reports say
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports say Apple’s stock is rebounding after last week’s selloff, with investors viewing recent price hikes as a way to defend margins rather than a sign of weakening demand. Apple’s Aggressive Price Hikes Raise Eyebrows As Wall Street Links AI Chip Shortages To Inflation Pressure— Ryan Detrick Says ‘This is the Real World Stuff’
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remained constructive, with some analysts and strategists pointing to Apple’s AI roadmap, App Store/services growth, and long-term product pipeline as reasons to stay bullish on AAPL. What’s Going on With Apple Stock Thursday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market rotation matters too: Apple is outperforming a weak tech tape, so some of the stock’s strength may reflect investors rotating into higher-quality mega-cap names rather than a company-specific catalyst alone. Dow Jones Futures: Dow Hits High But AI Tumbles; Apple, Robinhood Are Buys As Tesla, Sandisk Dive
• Negative Sentiment: The main overhang is margin pressure from surging memory and component costs, which has already forced Apple to raise prices on Macs and iPads and could squeeze profitability if costs stay elevated. Is Apple stock in trouble? Rising costs threaten margins, demand
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also watching reports that Apple may source memory chips from blacklisted Chinese suppliers, a move that highlights the seriousness of the supply shortage and adds geopolitical risk. Russia warns Apple of $52 million fine over alleged bias against local apps

Apple Profile

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.