Apple Inc. $AAPL Holdings Lessened by Bender Robert & Associates

Key Points

• Bender Robert & Associates reduced its Apple stake by 1.9% in the second quarter, selling 4,985 shares and retaining 257,167 shares valued at approximately $74.4 million. Apple remains the firm’s second-largest holding and represents 15.5% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital and Morgan Stanley among the largest holders. Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, giving Apple a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $330.61.
• Apple recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.02 in EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, though its premium valuation and rising component costs remain potential risks.

Bender Robert & Associates trimmed its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 257,167 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,985 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 15.5% of Bender Robert & Associates' investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Bender Robert & Associates' holdings in Apple were worth $74,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Apple by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $164,218,801,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555,392 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Apple by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $62,659,118,000 after buying an additional 1,379,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Weiss Ratings raised Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. HSBC upgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, at John Ternus’s first major keynote as CEO. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate the foldable could represent a roughly $14 billion revenue opportunity if Apple can stimulate premium-device demand. Apple Faces Its Biggest iPhone Test in Years
• Positive Sentiment: Recent iPhone sales growth of more than 20% for three consecutive quarters, a large installed base and potential on-device artificial-intelligence features provide a favorable backdrop for the launch. Apple’s higher Apple TV and Apple One prices could also support Services revenue and margins. Apple’s New Mac Mini and Studio Bet Big on On-Device AI
• Neutral Sentiment: The leadership transition from Tim Cook to John Ternus is placing additional importance on Wednesday’s event. Investors are looking for evidence that Ternus can maintain Apple’s long-term innovation and shareholder-return record while emphasizing hardware development. Tim Cook Delivered a 2,720% Total Return
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s broad ecosystem and substantial cash generation remain important supports for the investment case, but the stock’s premium valuation means the market may already be pricing in a successful product cycle and strong demand.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc warned that rising memory and component costs could force Apple to raise prices. Broad price increases could cause “sticker shock” and reduce unit volumes, while selective increases could pressure gross margins. KeyBanc Delivers Stark Warning on Apple Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei and Xiaomi have introduced premium foldable devices ahead of Apple’s launch, intensifying competition—particularly in China, an important but challenging market for Apple. Huawei’s tri-fold Mate XT2 raises the bar on design and pricing. Huawei Unveils New Tri-Fold Smartphone
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a costly execution test: a premium foldable near $2,000 must generate meaningful incremental demand without weakening margins or cannibalizing existing iPhone sales. Disappointing specifications, pricing or guidance could weigh on the shares after the event.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $319.97 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $316.41 and its 200 day moving average is $290.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $225.95 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

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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