Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Lifted by Golden State Equity Partners

Golden State Equity Partners boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 105,881 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Apple comprises 4.6% of Golden State Equity Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Golden State Equity Partners’ holdings in Apple were worth $28,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. McGowan Group Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,257 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,235,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Brickley Wealth Management boosted its position in Apple by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Brickley Wealth Management now owns 388,140 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $105,520,000 after purchasing an additional 12,634 shares during the last quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Apple by 56.9% in the fourth quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,759 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its position in Apple by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 86,231 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $23,443,000 after purchasing an additional 4,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its position in Apple by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 1,712,364 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $465,489,000 after purchasing an additional 23,080 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly cutting prices in China ahead of the June 18 “618” shopping holiday, a move that could boost unit sales and help defend market share in a key region, according to Wedbush. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 18
• Positive Sentiment: Apple was highlighted as a top-ranked momentum stock by Zacks, reinforcing the idea that the shares continue to attract technical and style-based buying interest. Apple (AAPL) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Memorial Day tech promotions featuring Apple products may support short-term demand and keep the brand top of mind with consumers during a heavy shopping period. Memorial Day tech sales are live: Save up to 50% off on some of our favorite gadgets at Amazon, Apple, Best Buy and more
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces framed Apple as a core mega-cap stock, but they did not introduce new fundamentals that would materially change the near-term outlook. Instead of Chasing Alpha, Here Are 4 Ways to Pick the Low-Hanging Apples
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles discussed Apple in broader tech or portfolio contexts, including comparisons with Microsoft and ETF exposure, which are more informational than stock-moving on their own. Apple vs. Microsoft: What Their Revenue Trends Reveal for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei’s new smartphone chip plans add another competitive overhang for Apple, raising concerns about iPhone demand in China and the broader premium-phone market. Huawei unveils new smartphone chips this fall as rivalry with Nvidia and Apple heats up
• Negative Sentiment: A Bloomberg report said Apple’s Watch and health strategy needs a reboot to stay competitive, suggesting wearables remain an area where rivals could gain ground. Apple’s Watch and Health Efforts Need Reboot to Rival New Wearables
• Negative Sentiment: Some opinion pieces argued Apple may eventually lose momentum versus other mega-cap winners, which could weigh on sentiment even though these were long-term speculative takes rather than immediate catalysts. 3 Reasons Apple Will Be Booted From The Magnificent 7 By The End Of 2030

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $308.82 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.46 and a twelve month high of $311.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $4.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.34, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $270.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.90.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS 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 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 30,002 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305 in the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Apple from $268.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (up from $248.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.74.

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.