Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Sovran Advisors LLC

Sovran Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 11.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,881 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,492 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 2.4% of Sovran Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Sovran Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $31,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of AAPL opened at $333.02 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.50 and a 52 week high of $334.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.89 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.27, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $306.62 and a 200-day moving average of $279.01.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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 return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The business had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. KGI Securities cut Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Maxim Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $327.40.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

About Apple

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.