Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Grows Stake in AppLovin Corporation $APP

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) by 62.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,600 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,100 shares during the period. AppLovin accounts for approximately 0.4% of Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in AppLovin were worth $26,299,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APP. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in AppLovin during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of AppLovin in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AppLovin in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AppLovin during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in AppLovin in the second quarter valued at $35,000. 41.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AppLovin News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AppLovin this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and bull case: several pieces note Wall Street optimism and list APP as a top tech pick for the year, supporting the growth narrative and investor interest. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About AppLovin (APP): Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Growth thesis reiterated: a Zacks feature lays out three reasons APP can outperform — expanding ad monetization, strong revenue growth and operational leverage. These fundamentals underpin higher valuations if execution continues. Looking for a Growth Stock? 3 Reasons Why AppLovin (APP) is a Solid Choice
• Positive Sentiment: Market-theme support: a roundup of S&P 500 picks includes APP among tech names to watch in the year, which can attract benchmark-driven flows. S&P 500 Continues Its Stellar Run to Open New Year: 4 Solid Picks
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased attention: Zacks reports heavy investor searches for APP, signaling elevated interest and potential for higher volume/volatility but not directional proof. Investors Heavily Search AppLovin Corporation (APP): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market context: broader market-mover coverage (e.g., investing.com note) may have influenced trading flows; APP moves can be amplified by tech/market leadership shifts. Micron and Lam Research among market cap stock movers on Tuesday
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term weakness: a Zacks piece flagged a daily decline for APP (shares sank while the broader market gained), which can trigger stop-losses and short-term selling pressure. AppLovin (APP) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Volatility/risk warnings: Forbes highlights APP’s history of sharp drawdowns (multiple >30% drops), a reminder that elevated valuation and beta can lead to big reversals. Why AppLovin Stock May Be A Risky Pick?
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental concern: Seeking Alpha argues APP may face diminishing marginal returns, which would pressure future margin expansion assumptions and valuation. AppLovin May Be Facing Diminishing Marginal Returns

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Victoria Valenzuela sold 7,609 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $657.13, for a total value of $5,000,102.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 277,110 shares in the company, valued at $182,097,294.30. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Arash Adam Foroughi sold 4,069 shares of AppLovin stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $497.50, for a total value of $2,024,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,998,948 shares in the company, valued at $1,491,976,630. This represents a 0.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 340,336 shares of company stock worth $200,062,623 over the last quarter. Insiders own 13.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on APP shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on AppLovin from $740.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on AppLovin from $700.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup cut their price target on AppLovin from $850.00 to $820.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on AppLovin from $630.00 to $720.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of AppLovin from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $695.90.

AppLovin Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of APP stock opened at $617.24 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $208.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 2.50. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $638.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $539.20. AppLovin Corporation has a twelve month low of $200.50 and a twelve month high of $745.61.

AppLovin (NASDAQ:APP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.34 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. AppLovin had a return on equity of 258.49% and a net margin of 51.27%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 68.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.29 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that AppLovin Corporation will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

About AppLovin

AppLovin Corporation is a Palo Alto–based mobile technology company that provides software and services to help app developers grow and monetize their businesses. The company operates a data-driven advertising and marketing platform that connects app publishers and advertisers, delivering tools for user acquisition, monetization, analytics and creative optimization. AppLovin’s technology is integrated into a broad set of mobile applications through software development kits (SDKs) and ad products designed to maximize revenue and engagement for developers.

Key components of AppLovin’s offering include an ad mediation and exchange platform that enables publishers to manage and monetize inventory across multiple demand sources, and a user-acquisition platform that helps advertisers target and scale campaigns.