Professional Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 3,992 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Professional Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 99,215 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 3,992 shares during the period. Apple makes up 3.4% of Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Professional Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $28,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 1st quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in Apple by 890.7% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after purchasing an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Apple by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 38,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,890,023.32. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,994 shares of company stock worth $919,567 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $309.35 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $224.69 and a one year high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.51 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.48, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $310.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.04.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Incoming CEO John Ternus is expected to reassess Apple’s research-and-development budget and potentially increase spending on AI. Analysts see stronger investment in Siri and other AI products as a way to close the gap with technology rivals. Apple Could Get a New R&D and AI Budget
• Positive Sentiment: Potential product catalysts include an AI-enhanced Siri expected later this year, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027 and a foldable iPhone that one analyst estimates could sell 14 million units by 2027. Successful launches could support a major upgrade cycle. Apple Wants to Pay Publishers to Improve Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s nationwide rollout of contactless payments will add Apple Pay acceptance across its U.S. stores, websites and apps. The move expands Apple Pay’s reach and strengthens Apple’s services ecosystem. Walmart Adds Apple Pay Nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity showed a modestly bullish bias, with calls outnumbering puts, while implied volatility remained below its 52-week median. However, the signal was not strong enough to establish a decisive near-term direction. Apple Options Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s leadership change on September 1 is creating both opportunity and uncertainty. Bank of America maintains a Buy view but says Ternus must deliver more surprising products and technologies because the company has become increasingly predictable. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise
• Negative Sentiment: Apple reportedly cut more than 200 positions tied to Siri and the Vision Pro headset while redirecting resources toward future devices. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but it also highlights execution challenges in AI and spatial computing.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have warned that Apple’s insulation from macroeconomic and competitive headwinds is fading. With shares trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be less tolerant of slower growth, regulatory pressure and delays in AI products. Apple’s Immunity to Headwinds Is Fading
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple is quietly shifting attention toward China add geopolitical and demand risk, while its substantial tax settlement and filings highlighting large profits routed through Ireland could renew regulatory scrutiny.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction is relatively small and does not necessarily signal a change in fundamentals, but it provides a modest negative headline.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on AAPL shares. China Renaissance lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, July 13th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.53.

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.