Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Cut by Wealth Alliance LLC

Wealth Alliance LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 338,664 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,356 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 8.5% of Wealth Alliance LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Wealth Alliance LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $85,950,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the 1st quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Apple by 890.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 37,746,784 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% during the 4th 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $308.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $309.49 and a 200-day moving average of $283.86. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.78 and a 52-week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing memory chips from China’s CXMT for some iPhones and MacBooks sold in China. If approved by U.S. authorities, the move could provide an additional supply source and help mitigate shortages caused by surging AI-related demand. Apple tests China’s CXMT memory chips
• Positive Sentiment: Some Apple-focused investors, including Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster, argue that the shares remain undervalued and that future iPhone price increases, artificial-intelligence features and a potential upgrade cycle could support longer-term growth. Gene Munster disagrees with Apple downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is scheduled to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share on August 13 to eligible shareholders, providing a modest near-term shareholder return. Apple dividend payment
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. Analyst Edison Lee reportedly believes Apple has scrapped a planned all-glass iPhone because of production challenges, removing a potential premium product that could have lifted average selling prices and profitability. Apple could underperform without an all-glass iPhone
• Negative Sentiment: Memory and storage costs are rising sharply amid the AI-driven supply crunch; reports suggest iPhone 18 production costs could increase by roughly 38%. Apple may need to raise prices, risking weaker demand, or absorb the costs, pressuring margins. Apple’s iPhone 18 costs could jump 38%
• Negative Sentiment: The CXMT testing also introduces geopolitical and execution risks: U.S. restrictions could limit Apple’s access to the supplier, while CXMT’s capacity and technology may lag established memory manufacturers. These issues add uncertainty to Apple’s supply chain and pricing strategy.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Apple from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, DZ Bank lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.60.

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.