1,286,388 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Purchased by GQG Partners LLC

Key Points

• GQG Partners purchased 1.29 million Apple shares worth approximately $372.2 million in the second quarter, while several other institutional investors also initiated positions. Institutions and hedge funds now own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share, beating estimates of $1.89, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with Apple receiving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.14, despite a range of ratings from “Strong Buy” to “Sell.”

GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,286,388 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $372,229,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,033,310,000. Cadence Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $661,000. Academy Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $79,101,000. CFO4Life Group LLC bought a new position in Apple during the second quarter worth about $34,768,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Apple during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,534,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $337.02 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $296.51. 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 market cap of $4.92 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. 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 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. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.19, for a total value of $474,813.22. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,867,873.66. The trade was a 4.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and assigned a $370 price target, implying further upside. The firm highlighted improving iPhone 18 Pro Max availability trends, while premium demand remains relatively resilient. BofA Sends Stark Message to Apple Stock Investors on iPhone 18
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new M6 Mac mini and M5 Mac Studio are being marketed as lower-cost alternatives to cloud-based AI infrastructure, potentially expanding Apple’s enterprise opportunity. Their ability to run large AI models locally could create a new hardware growth driver. With new Macs, Apple aims to take on Microsoft and Nvidia
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is developing a screenless fitness tracker to compete with Whoop and Oura point to potential long-term expansion in health and wearables, although a launch may not occur until 2028. Apple could take on Whoop with a new fitness tracker

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.

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