15,512 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL Bought by Nicholas Investment Partners LP

Key Points

• Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased 15,512 Apple shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $4.49 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s outstanding stock.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding the $1.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Apple receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.14. However, elevated valuation, rising component costs, AI competition, and legal and product issues remain notable risks.

Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 15,512 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $4,489,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Advocate Investing Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,271,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $341.07 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $345.34. The company has a market capitalization of $4.98 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $321.56 and a 200 day moving average of $297.37.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple's payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 44,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,095,603.46. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 11,031 shares of company stock valued at $3,535,759 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. One equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.14.

Key Stories Impacting 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.

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