Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Decreased by MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC

MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC lessened its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.1% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 276,797 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,011 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 18.4% of MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $80,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Apple by 15.7% during the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 40,543 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201 over the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $319.97 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $225.95 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $315.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Citigroup reiterated 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. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. HSBC raised shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.61.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s Sept. 9 product event is generating significant interest under new CEO John Ternus, with expectations for new iPhones, an Apple Watch update and potentially the company’s first foldable iPhone. Citi estimates the foldable device could sell 7.3 million units despite a possible price above $2,000. Citi foldable iPhone sales forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter showed strong momentum, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding analyst expectations. Morgan Stanley has also suggested the foldable iPhone could contribute roughly $14 billion in December-quarter revenue if successfully launched. Morgan Stanley foldable iPhone estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has succeeded Tim Cook as CEO, while Cook remains executive chairman. The transition offers continuity through a longtime Apple executive but raises questions about whether Ternus can accelerate Apple’s artificial-intelligence strategy and sustain Cook-era growth. John Ternus becomes Apple CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate initial foldable iPhone production was only a few hundred units per day in late August. Tight quality controls and memory shortages could limit launch supply, delay purchases and prevent Apple from fully capturing expected demand. Foldable iPhone production hurdles
• Negative Sentiment: Memory costs have reportedly surged, potentially forcing Apple to raise iPhone prices, absorb lower margins or risk weaker demand. Jefferies has also downgraded AAPL amid skepticism about the foldable product’s market potential. iPhone memory cost concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a $2.7 billion UK lawsuit over alleged unfair app-tracking rules and a separate BASF patent lawsuit involving facial-authentication technology, adding regulatory and litigation risk. Apple UK app-tracking lawsuit

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.