WealthTrust Asset Management LLC Raises Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

WealthTrust Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 30.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 17,620 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 4,064 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 2.8% of WealthTrust Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $5,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $316.85 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $312.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.83. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.95 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Phillip Securities cut Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.53.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s leadership handoff could support innovation: Ternus is a longtime hardware executive and product builder, while Cook will remain with Apple as executive chairman. Investors are also looking ahead to the company’s September 9 product event, which could feature new iPhones and other devices. Apple To Begin New Chapter With CEO John Ternus
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlight continuing operating strengths, including strong iPhone share, potential gains as global smartphone shipments weaken, robust recent earnings, and increased fiscal-year EPS estimates. Apple’s planned U.S. manufacturing and AI-server investment could also reduce tariff and supply-chain exposure. Global Phone Shipments Drop, but Apple Positioned for Record iOS Market Share Gain
• Neutral Sentiment: Cook’s departure is being viewed as both a successful succession plan and a major test. His final message endorsed Ternus and emphasized continuity, but investors will judge the new CEO quickly based on the fall product cycle, Siri and Apple’s broader AI strategy. John Ternus to lead Apple into the age of AI
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s AI strategy remains a key concern because it relies substantially on outside partners while rivals are perceived as farther ahead. At the same time, veteran executive Phil Schiller relinquished oversight of the App Store and product events, adding uncertainty during the CEO change. Apple’s top App Store executive departs operational roles
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory costs reportedly prompted significant Mac and iPad price increases, potentially pressuring demand. Apple also disclosed allegations in a trade-secret lawsuit that an OpenAI employee accessed a circuit schematic, creating legal and competitive-risk headlines. Apple alleges OpenAI employee accessed circuit plans
• Negative Sentiment: Monday’s wider market selloff, linked to escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, also weighed on large technology stocks and added pressure to AAPL.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total transaction of $447,457.05. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,576,357.55. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock valued at $1,367,024. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Company 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.