476,392 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Acquired by Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc.

Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 476,392 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $137,849,000. Apple comprises approximately 18.1% of Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,351,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Apple by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $320.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.43. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $344.57. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.95 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.87, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm 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%. The business's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Phillip Securities raised their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Arete Research upped their price objective on Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.14.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.19, for a total value of $474,813.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 32,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,867,873.66. This represents a 4.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,632 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,955. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company 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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