Apple Inc. $AAPL Holdings Lowered by Arete Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Arete Wealth Advisors cut its Apple stake by 58.7% in the first quarter, selling 94,314 shares and retaining 66,329 shares worth approximately $16.8 million. Apple represents about 1.2% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Other institutional investors made mixed moves, with several increasing their Apple holdings and others initiating new positions; institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of the stock.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share and revenue of $109.42 billion, exceeding estimates, while analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $328.60.

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 58.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,329 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 94,314 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 1.2% of Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $16,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,189,000 after buying an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Eaton Cambridge Inc. boosted its holdings in Apple by 21.3% in the first quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth $1,178,000. Summit Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Apple by 108.3% during the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corp purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $105,482,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AAPL. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $328.60.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing DRAM chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for iPhones and MacBooks and has discussed potential supply arrangements. Diversifying memory suppliers could reduce shortages and limit cost pressure, although geopolitical and quality-control risks remain. Apple’s CXMT Bet Could Strengthen Its Memory Supply, But Risks Remain
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly in talks with publishers to license content for an AI-powered Siri. Access to current, high-quality information could improve Siri as Apple prepares a major AI-focused iPhone software update. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter remained strong, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding consensus estimates. Some investors also view the recent pullback as an accumulation opportunity, while Crake Asset Management reportedly increased its Apple position.
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nate Gatten to lead government affairs, highlighting the importance of tariffs, regulation and White House relations. The appointment could improve policy execution but also underscores heightened political risk. Apple Hires Former American Airlines Executive to Lead Government Affairs
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook is expected to hand leadership to John Ternus on September 1, while Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey plans to retire in October. The transitions create execution uncertainty but may also mark a planned leadership refresh.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its Apple rating and price target, questioning whether the company has sufficient iPhone and AI momentum to justify its premium valuation. The firm also cited supply-chain concerns about a high-end all-glass iPhone and weaker average-selling-price growth. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Memory shortages driven by AI demand are raising Apple’s bill of materials and could pressure margins or force additional iPhone price increases. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition in AI-enabled smartphones. Apple additionally faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its iCloud+ privacy claims misled consumers.

Apple Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $302.25 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.41 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.78 and a 52-week high of $344.57. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $309.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $284.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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