6,454 Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL Acquired by Merited Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Merited Wealth LLC acquired 6,454 Apple shares worth approximately $1.87 million in the second quarter, making Apple its 14th-largest holding and about 1.3% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains substantial, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 67.73% of Apple’s shares; several major investors initiated or increased positions during the period.
• Apple’s outlook is mixed: strong iPhone 18 demand and bullish analyst sentiment support the stock, while elevated valuation, rising component costs, AI competition, legal challenges and an iPhone 18 Pro issue present risks.

Merited Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,454 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,868,000. Apple makes up approximately 1.3% of Merited Wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,443,242,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $13,658,359,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $10,588,946,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 24,974.3% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,614,323 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,754,449,000 after acquiring an additional 26,508,181 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,665,140,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business'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. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 11,031 shares of company stock valued at $3,535,759. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Apple News

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

Apple Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $341.07 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $321.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $297.37. The company has a market cap of $4.98 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.08. 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.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Phillip Securities lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Citic Securities boosted their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

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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