AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 30,307 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK Plc reduced its Apple stake by 1.8% in the first quarter, selling 30,307 shares and leaving it with 1,682,057 shares valued at about $426.7 million. Apple remains a major holding for the fund, making up 5.7% of its portfolio.
• Apple continues to show solid operating momentum, with its latest quarterly results beating expectations on both earnings per share and revenue. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26.
• Market sentiment around Apple remains largely positive, with analysts citing AI progress, a potential Intel chip partnership, and technical strength near all-time highs. Brokerage coverage is broadly favorable, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a price target of $314.85.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc trimmed its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,682,057 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 30,307 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 5.7% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Apple were worth $426,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple by 6.4% during the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s new Siri and broader AI reset is being viewed positively by analysts, with BofA reiterating a Buy rating and saying the WWDC update could strengthen Apple’s AI position and support the stock. BofA Says Apple’s (AAPL) New Siri Strategy Could Strengthen its AI Position
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s reported chip partnership with Intel is being framed as strategically important, with investors focused on supply-chain diversification and a longer-term domestic chip roadmap that could benefit future product cycles. Apple-Intel chip deal makes strategic sense but production is years away
• Positive Sentiment: Several market commentaries say Apple shares are building toward a possible breakout, with the stock staying close to its all-time high and forming a fresh buy zone as momentum improves. Apple Stock Polishing New Buy Zone With All-Time High In Sight
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is also drawing attention for comments from Eddy Cue about expanding entertainment offerings on Apple TV and in theaters, which supports the long-term services story but is not an immediate earnings catalyst. Apple aims for better and more entertainment offerings, executive Cue says
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are still weighing headwinds from rising memory costs and the possibility of iPhone price increases, which could pressure demand if Apple passes through higher component prices. Apple Price Hike Fears May Be Overblown, Says J.P. Morgan
• Negative Sentiment: Apple also faces legal overhang after a UK tribunal allowed a $4 billion iCloud class-action lawsuit to proceed, adding another potential regulatory and financial risk. Apple supplier Lingyi iTech prices $1.06 billion Hong Kong IPO to tap AI demand

Apple Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $293.05 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.26 and a twelve month high of $317.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.30 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $291.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.15.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's payout ratio is 13.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Maxim Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 97,875 shares of company stock worth $24,998,541 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc NASDAQ: AAPL is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple's principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.

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