Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Raised by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 11.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,235,113 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 865,600 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 3.4% of Lazard Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Apple worth $2,089,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the first quarter worth about $360,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 155.4% during the first quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 214,976 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $54,559,000 after buying an additional 130,820 shares during the last quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 21.1% during the first quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 82,933 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $21,048,000 after buying an additional 14,432 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 22.5% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 2,851,506 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $723,684,000 after buying an additional 523,765 shares during the period. Finally, 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.2% in the first quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,131 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $7,393,000 after buying an additional 903 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter was its strongest June quarter on record, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion and earnings per share of $2.02, ahead of Wall Street expectations. Some investors and analysts, including Gene Munster, view the recent weakness as an attractive accumulation opportunity and anticipate a substantial iPhone upgrade cycle. Apple’s Dip Below $310 is a Great Accumulation Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly exploring alternative memory suppliers, including China’s CXMT, as artificial-intelligence demand tightens global DRAM supplies. Diversifying procurement could help reduce shortages and limit production disruptions, although U.S. restrictions may constrain the opportunity. Apple tests China’s CXMT memory chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is participating in efforts to make AI-generated content traceable, potentially strengthening platform trust and content provenance over time. The initiative is strategically relevant but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Tech’s Big Push to Make AI Content Traceable
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey is retiring, creating another senior leadership transition. The impact depends on the successor and execution in financial services. Jennifer Bailey retires
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded AAPL from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. The firm cited supply-chain checks suggesting Apple may have abandoned a high-end all-glass iPhone, weakening the case for significantly higher average selling prices. Bloomberg separately reported that the 2027 device may still be on track, leaving uncertainty rather than confirmation. Jefferies downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Surging memory and storage costs could raise iPhone production expenses by roughly 38%, forcing Apple to choose between higher prices that could pressure demand and lower margins. Reports that iPhone prices have already increased by as much as $300 are intensifying concerns about consumer affordability and pricing power. Apple’s Next iPhone Could Test Pricing Power
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst confidence has cooled despite strong revenue growth, with investors questioning whether Apple can sustain premium-device growth at its roughly $4.45 trillion valuation, particularly as Nvidia and other AI leaders capture more market enthusiasm.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Maxim Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. China Renaissance lowered 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. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.60.

Apple Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $304.91 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $309.28 and its 200 day moving average is $284.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.78 and a 52-week high of $344.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

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.