43,366 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Purchased by Elefante Mark B

Key Points

• Elefante Mark B acquired 43,366 Apple shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $12.55 million. Apple now represents about 5.4% of the fund’s holdings and is its fourth-largest position.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, beating analyst expectations, while revenue increased 16.4% year over year. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.14, though concerns remain about Apple’s high valuation, AI execution and near-term product issues.

Elefante Mark B acquired a new position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 43,366 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $12,548,000. Apple makes up about 5.4% of Elefante Mark B's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Apple by 822.7% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 260,792 shares during the last quarter. Basso Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $88,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 demand supports near-term revenue. Long customer lines in India and sustained interest in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max suggest Apple’s premium pricing has not materially weakened demand in a key growth market. However, regional trends are mixed, with China remaining a concern. Inside India newsletter: Apple set to take a bigger bite of the world's second-largest smartphone market
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and possible AI expansion provide growth catalysts. Apple’s iPhone Duo foldable, M6 Mac mini and M5 Ultra Mac Studio are being positioned as evidence that the company can still generate product excitement. Reports that Apple may develop its own AI server chips could also improve control over infrastructure costs and AI performance. Could John Ternus’ Product Strategy Reshape Apple’s Next Growth Phase?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. JPMorgan reaffirmed a “buy” rating, while Bank of America maintained its “buy” rating and set a $370 target, implying further upside from recent levels. Apple analyst ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple renewed Qualcomm’s global patent license agreement. The deal, effective April 1, 2027, removes a potential licensing uncertainty but also highlights Apple’s continuing relationship with Qualcomm for modem-related technology. Qualcomm, Apple extend licensing agreement for chips
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI execution are major investor concerns. Commentators argue that AAPL’s large gains and roughly $4.9 trillion market capitalization leave limited room for disappointment, particularly if Apple’s AI products fail to match Meta’s rapidly advancing AI agents and wearables. Apple stock could be 32% overpriced after fresh AI cost warnings
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term execution issues add pressure. Reports of an iPhone 18 Pro reboot problem requiring a software update, Fitness+ layoffs and an executive’s stock sale may reinforce concerns about product quality, cost control and insider confidence. Apple says software update to fix iPhone 18 Pro rebooting bug is coming next week

Apple Stock Down 0.3%

AAPL stock opened at $335.92 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $321.41 and a 200 day moving average of $297.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. 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.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in 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 report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 44,391 shares in the company, valued at $15,095,603.46. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,031 shares of company stock valued at $3,535,759. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Profile

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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