2,184 Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Anchor Capital Advisors increased its Apple stake by 7.6% in the second quarter, acquiring 2,184 shares and bringing its holdings to 31,079 shares valued at approximately $9.1 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of Apple, with major positions added or expanded by Berkshire Hathaway, Bank of America, Legal & General, Nuveen and Amundi.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue growth of 16.4% year over year and exceeded earnings expectations, but investors face concerns over iPhone demand, high valuation, potential margin pressure and recent insider stock sales.

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,079 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 2,184 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $9,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,950,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,986,090,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Nuveen LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $20,389,750,000 after buying an additional 2,725,121 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $18,547,637,000 after acquiring an additional 13,780,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total transaction of $8,460,671.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at $19,832,236.98. The trade was a 29.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 279,383 shares of company stock worth $92,912,517. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Potential AI upside: Analyst Dan Ives said Apple could become a “toll collector” for consumer AI by monetizing its more than 2.5 billion active devices and Services ecosystem. He estimates AI could add approximately $75 per share to the company’s value. Apple Could Be the Toll Collector of Consumer AI
• Positive Sentiment: Smart-home expansion: Apple’s planned October 13 “Welcome Home” event could introduce products such as a smart lock, thermostat and doorbell. The initiative may expand Apple’s hardware and Services opportunities and strengthen its position against Amazon and Google. Apple Smart Home Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Possible seasonal order adjustment: Bespoke Investment Group noted that Apple’s autumn iPhone order reductions have occurred in prior years and have sometimes been followed by a stock recovery. Investors will look for evidence that the latest cuts reflect normal supply-chain management rather than lasting demand weakness. Apple’s iPhone Order Cut and Stock Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: iPhone demand concerns: Nikkei Asia reported that Apple asked suppliers to cut iPhone 18 Pro component production, raising concerns that premium pricing is discouraging consumers. The reports are particularly important because Apple is preparing to pursue an even higher-priced product strategy, including a rumored $1,999 foldable iPhone. Apple Cuts iPhone 18 Pro Orders Due to Soft Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks: Apple’s elevated earnings multiple leaves less room for disappointment, while higher memory costs could pressure margins. A recent senior vice president stock sale was relatively small but adds to near-term caution. Apple Senior Vice President Stock Sale

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $336.64 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $322.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.99. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $345.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.61, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on AAPL. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Phillip Securities lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.02.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.

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