Janus Henderson Group PLC Decreases Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Janus Henderson Group PLC decreased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,916,594 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 425,198 shares during the period. Apple comprises 3.2% of Janus Henderson Group PLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $6,804,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Phillip Securities cut shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. China Renaissance lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. 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. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $302.25 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.78 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.41 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $309.12 and a 200-day moving average of $284.64.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing DRAM chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for iPhones and MacBooks and has discussed potential supply arrangements. Diversifying memory suppliers could reduce shortages and limit cost pressure, although geopolitical and quality-control risks remain. Apple’s CXMT Bet Could Strengthen Its Memory Supply, But Risks Remain
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly in talks with publishers to license content for an AI-powered Siri. Access to current, high-quality information could improve Siri as Apple prepares a major AI-focused iPhone software update. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter remained strong, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding consensus estimates. Some investors also view the recent pullback as an accumulation opportunity, while Crake Asset Management reportedly increased its Apple position.
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nate Gatten to lead government affairs, highlighting the importance of tariffs, regulation and White House relations. The appointment could improve policy execution but also underscores heightened political risk. Apple Hires Former American Airlines Executive to Lead Government Affairs
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook is expected to hand leadership to John Ternus on September 1, while Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey plans to retire in October. The transitions create execution uncertainty but may also mark a planned leadership refresh.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its Apple rating and price target, questioning whether the company has sufficient iPhone and AI momentum to justify its premium valuation. The firm also cited supply-chain concerns about a high-end all-glass iPhone and weaker average-selling-price growth. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Memory shortages driven by AI demand are raising Apple’s bill of materials and could pressure margins or force additional iPhone price increases. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition in AI-enabled smartphones. Apple additionally faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its iCloud+ privacy claims misled consumers.

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.