10,144 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Bought by Veratis Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Veratis Advisors initiated a position in Apple by purchasing 10,144 shares worth approximately $2.94 million, making Apple its ninth-largest holding at 2.1% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 67.73% of Apple’s shares. Several firms also established new positions during the second quarter.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.14.

Veratis Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 10,144 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $2,935,000. Apple comprises about 2.1% of Veratis Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prospect Hill Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the second quarter valued at about $16,064,000. Finally, Sterling Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the second quarter worth about $4,666,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Seaport Research Partners downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday. Finally, China Renaissance cut Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Apple Stock Up 1.5%

AAPL opened at $341.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.98 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50-day moving average of $321.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $297.37. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.42 and a 12 month high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were given 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 is 12.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total value of $815,803.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,095,603.46. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 11,031 shares of company stock worth $3,535,759 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone 18 demand remains encouraging. Long lines in India and strong interest in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max suggest Apple’s premium pricing is holding up in an important growth market. Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380 from $365 while maintaining an outperform rating. Apple iPhone demand in India
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and technical positioning remain supportive. AAPL has gained roughly 10% over the past month and is approaching a potential buy point, helping sustain investor interest. Bank of America and JPMorgan have reiterated bullish ratings, while several analysts maintain targets above the current trading range. Apple stock approaches buy point
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is expanding its product ecosystem. The company plans a refreshed HomePod mini, while reports suggest it may develop its own AI server chips. These initiatives could support future ecosystem engagement and infrastructure efficiency, but they are not yet material earnings drivers. Apple to release new HomePod mini
• Negative Sentiment: Rising component costs could pressure margins. Bernstein warned that surging memory and other smartphone component costs may weigh on gross margins and earnings in the December quarter, particularly as Apple introduces more expensive iPhones. Apple’s expensive new iPhones and margins
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI execution remain key risks. At nearly $5 trillion in market value and about 38–39 times earnings, Apple requires continued earnings growth to justify its valuation. Analysts argue Alphabet’s Gemini ecosystem and monetization progress currently give it an edge in consumer AI, while Meta’s AI devices add competitive pressure. Alphabet versus Apple in consumer AI
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and product issues add uncertainty. A judge certified a class of payment card issuers in an Apple Pay antitrust lawsuit alleging improper fees. Separately, Apple is preparing a software fix for an iPhone 18 Pro reboot problem. Apple Pay class-action lawsuit

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.