Austin Asset Management Co Inc Raises Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Austin Asset Management Co Inc lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 8.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,711 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,846 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 1.1% of Austin Asset Management Co Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Austin Asset Management Co Inc’s holdings in Apple were worth $6,271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lowered shares of Apple from a “sector weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. HSBC raised shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.71.

Apple Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $325.89 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.50 and a twelve month high of $334.99. The firm has a market cap of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $305.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.06%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans a major overhaul of its Mac lineup to meet demand for AI-powered computers, with new versions of every Mac product expected. That could support future hardware upgrades and help Apple participate more directly in the AI spending cycle. Apple Plans To Overhaul Computers to Meet AI Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also set to launch a new “Apple Upgrade” device leasing program with Klarna, which could make iPhones, Macs, iPads and Apple Watches easier to finance and potentially lift replacement demand. Apple to launch ‘Upgrade’ device leasing program to spur sales, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators remain constructive on Apple’s long-term momentum, arguing the company’s ecosystem, pricing power and upcoming product cycle still support the stock despite recent volatility. Why Apple (AAPL) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Samsung’s new foldable launches and rising prices highlight the competitive pressure in premium mobile devices, while also signaling that Apple’s expected entry into foldables is increasingly on investors’ radar. Samsung unveils wider foldable phone, hikes prices as chip costs rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains a top-market-cap stock and is trading near peak valuations, which keeps sentiment mixed heading into earnings and makes the shares more sensitive to any disappointment. Is Apple stock overvalued? Here’s what AlphaSpace valuation metrics say.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple lost a key court bid in its Masimo dispute, leaving a $634 million Apple Watch patent verdict in place. That legal overhang is a direct negative for sentiment because it preserves a costly judgment and keeps the litigation risk alive. Apple Fails to Overturn $634 Million Masimo Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and analysts are warning that Apple’s stock has become expensive after a strong run, which is pressuring the shares as traders lock in gains ahead of earnings. The Risk in Apple’s Stock That Nobody Is Talking About

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.