Apple Inc. $AAPL is Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC's 8th Largest Position

Key Points

• Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors increased its Apple stake by 65.6%. The firm now owns 66,717 shares worth approximately $19.3 million, making Apple its eighth-largest holding and representing 2.4% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported quarterly revenue of $109.42 billion and earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year. The company also maintains a $0.27 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Apple receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $334.91. However, elevated valuation, rising component costs, competitive pressure and insider selling remain key risks.

Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 65.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,717 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 26,418 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.4% of Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $19,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.23, for a total value of $456,176.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,897,484.96. The trade was a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. 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 90 days, insiders sold 7,310 shares of company stock valued at $2,279,378. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $332.27 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $229.02 and a one year high of $344.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $318.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.45. The stock has a market cap of $4.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone, scheduled to arrive October 23, could drive upgrades, deepen ecosystem engagement and add a high-margin premium product category. Some analysts believe foldables could eventually account for 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see renewed hardware momentum. Alongside the Duo, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 target, supporting the bullish reaction. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions could reduce sticker-price resistance. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering installment and trade-in incentives for the expensive Duo, potentially broadening access without an immediate industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its price target to $370, while Rosenblatt kept a Neutral rating and $303 target. The debate centers on Duo demand, supply constraints, valuation and the durability of the upgrade cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains the main risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Management has already guided to lower gross margins, raising concerns that pricing may not fully offset higher costs. Apple margin pressure from memory costs
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and competition limit upside. Apple trades near the upper end of its historical earnings multiple, while Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung remain strong competitors in China and the foldable market.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $456,000 of stock, reducing her direct holdings by about 4%, although she retains a substantial position.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on AAPL shares. KeyCorp reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 4th. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $334.91.

Apple 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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