Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. Acquires 15,554 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 181.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,145 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 15,554 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 2.7% of Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $6,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its holdings in Apple by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after buying an additional 69,207 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in Apple by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $12,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple will replace the European Union’s controversial per-install Core Technology Fee with a simpler 5% commission on digital transactions for apps distributed outside the App Store or through alternative marketplaces. The changes, effective October 1, are intended to resolve disputes related to the EU’s Digital Markets Act and reduce regulatory uncertainty. Apple overhauls Europe app store fees to resolve payments clash
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also making it easier for developers to operate alternative app stores in Europe. Investors may view the settlement as removing a persistent overhang and avoiding potentially larger penalties or prolonged legal battles. Apple overhauls its EU App Store fees, loosens rules for alternative app stores
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn upgraded Apple from “Hold” or “Neutral” to “Buy” and raised its price target to $400 from $260. The bullish case centers on a potential premium foldable iPhone—modeled at roughly 14 million units priced near $2,199—and a possible improvement in Apple’s artificial-intelligence strategy. Could Apple stock jump 30%? This Nvidia AI bet may hold the key
• Neutral Sentiment: The new EU terms may improve developer relations and compliance, but the lower and broader commission structure could reduce App Store economics over time. Apple has acknowledged that antitrust actions and new rules are beginning to weigh on its approximately $100 billion Services business. Antitrust attacks start to bite into Apple’s Services business
• Negative Sentiment: Appaloosa Management, led by David Tepper, disclosed put positions referencing about 835,000 Apple shares. The position signals caution toward AAPL’s valuation and growth outlook, although it is an individual investor’s trade rather than a fundamental change. Billionaire David Tepper Is Short Apple
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. officials reportedly urged Apple not to purchase memory chips from Chinese suppliers. Complying could raise component costs or constrain sourcing flexibility as AI demand tightens memory supply, creating a potential margin headwind. Market Chatter: Apple May Buy Chinese Memory Chips Despite US Request

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total value of $442,852.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,342,929.25. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $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. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, HSBC raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.53.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $310.03 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $223.78 and a one year high of $344.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $309.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $286.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.52 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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%.

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.