Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Purchases 8,696 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Analyst IMS Investment Management Services increased its Apple position by 19.4% in the second quarter, adding 8,696 shares to own 53,600 shares valued at $15.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, with revenue up 16.4% year over year. The stock was trading near $328, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $330.61.
• Investor sentiment is mixed ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event: a potential foldable iPhone and new product launches could support growth, while analyst downgrades, rising component costs, lawsuits and recent insider selling remain risks.

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 19.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,600 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 8,696 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 0.4% of Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.'s holdings in Apple were worth $15,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event, the first major launch under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus described the event as “phenomenal,” raising expectations for new premium iPhones and the company’s first foldable iPhone. Apple’s New CEO Teases “Phenomenal” iPhone Launch
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone could provide a significant new growth catalyst. Morgan Stanley estimates the device could contribute approximately $14 billion to the December quarter, while other projections suggest strong market share and premium pricing potential if demand materializes. Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Contribute $14 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $360 price target, supporting the view that Apple’s product pipeline and earnings growth can justify its premium valuation. Apple’s services business also continues to benefit from price increases to Apple TV and Apple One. Apple TV Price Hike
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has formally succeeded Tim Cook, while Cook remains executive chairman. The structure provides continuity and preserves Cook’s government and China relationships, but Ternus must prove that a product-focused strategy can improve Apple’s position in AI. Apple Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform, reportedly citing the cancellation of an all-glass MacBook or foldable MacBook project and skepticism that the foldable iPhone will be more than a niche product. Jefferies Downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) UK lawsuit alleging that its App Tracking Transparency rules unfairly restrict third-party developers while favoring Apple’s own advertising services. BASF has also filed a separate patent lawsuit over face-authentication technology. BASF Patent Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could lift iPhone production expenses sharply, forcing Apple to raise prices, accept lower margins or risk weaker demand. Analysts remain divided, with DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating and a $270 price target. Apple Product and Leadership Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: An Apple senior vice president sold 1,439 shares worth about $456,000. The sale was relatively small, leaving the executive with nearly 35,800 shares, but it may add modestly to near-term investor caution. Apple Insider Trading Filing

Apple Trading Up 1.0%

Apple stock opened at $328.21 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $225.95 and a one year high of $344.57. The business's fifty day moving average is $314.94 and its 200 day moving average is $290.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.Apple's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Phillip Securities cut shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.61.

Apple Company 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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