IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,924,490 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 10,968 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 6.6% of IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Apple were worth $795,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the first quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after buying an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have commented on AAPL. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.59.
Apple News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Apple unveiled a much more capable Siri AI and broader iOS/macOS upgrades, reinforcing the company’s AI strategy and supporting a longer-term growth narrative. Siri upgrades show promise, but questions remain
- Positive Sentiment: Several analysts lifted earnings expectations or reiterated confidence after WWDC, suggesting Apple’s fundamentals and services/iPhone ecosystem still support the stock. Analyst estimate updates
- Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Apple’s strong cash flow, low debt, and momentum, with some commentary pointing to potential upside if the next iPhone cycle and services growth accelerate. Does Apple Stock Have More Upside?
- Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also cited as a “top stock” in Ken Griffin’s portfolio, which is supportive for sentiment but not a direct new catalyst. Apple Inc. (AAPL) Is A Top Stock In Ken Griffin’s Portfolio
- Negative Sentiment: Despite the AI reveal, multiple reports said investors were underwhelmed because much of the rollout looks incremental and some Siri features may not feel fully differentiated yet. Apple Unveils Siri AI. Here’s Why It’s Not Impressing Investors
- Negative Sentiment: Technical and options commentary pointed to caution, suggesting some traders still see limited near-term upside after the post-WWDC pullback. Option Activity Suggests Caution On Apple’s Intermediate-Term Outlook
Apple Price Performance
Shares of AAPL opened at $295.63 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.07 and a 1 year high of $317.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50-day moving average of $284.93 and a 200-day moving average of $272.14.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.
Apple Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 13.06%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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.
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