Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 33,209,803 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,979,747 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 5.5% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,428,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. HSBC raised shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” 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-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.71.
Trending Headlines about Apple
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans a major overhaul of its Mac lineup to meet demand for AI-powered computers, with new versions of every Mac product expected. That could support future hardware upgrades and help Apple participate more directly in the AI spending cycle. Apple Plans To Overhaul Computers to Meet AI Demand
- Positive Sentiment: Apple is also set to launch a new “Apple Upgrade” device leasing program with Klarna, which could make iPhones, Macs, iPads and Apple Watches easier to finance and potentially lift replacement demand. Apple to launch ‘Upgrade’ device leasing program to spur sales, Bloomberg News reports
- Positive Sentiment: Several commentators remain constructive on Apple’s long-term momentum, arguing the company’s ecosystem, pricing power and upcoming product cycle still support the stock despite recent volatility. Why Apple (AAPL) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
- Neutral Sentiment: Samsung’s new foldable launches and rising prices highlight the competitive pressure in premium mobile devices, while also signaling that Apple’s expected entry into foldables is increasingly on investors’ radar. Samsung unveils wider foldable phone, hikes prices as chip costs rise
- Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains a top-market-cap stock and is trading near peak valuations, which keeps sentiment mixed heading into earnings and makes the shares more sensitive to any disappointment. Is Apple stock overvalued? Here’s what AlphaSpace valuation metrics say.
- Negative Sentiment: Apple lost a key court bid in its Masimo dispute, leaving a $634 million Apple Watch patent verdict in place. That legal overhang is a direct negative for sentiment because it preserves a costly judgment and keeps the litigation risk alive. Apple Fails to Overturn $634 Million Masimo Verdict
- Negative Sentiment: Some investors and analysts are warning that Apple’s stock has become expensive after a strong run, which is pressuring the shares as traders lock in gains ahead of earnings. The Risk in Apple’s Stock That Nobody Is Talking About
Apple Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $325.89 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.50 and a fifty-two week high of $334.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $305.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $278.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.10.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Apple Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.06%.
Insider Transactions at Apple
In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly 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 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. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
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.
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