Apple Inc. $AAPL is Granite Investment Partners LLC's Largest Position

Granite Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 10.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 219,048 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 20,065 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.4% of Granite Investment Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Granite Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $55,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $325.89 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $4.79 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's fifty day moving average is $305.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.27. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.50 and a 52-week high of $334.99.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The business's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial set a $380.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Monday. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $365.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. UBS Group set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $325.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans a major overhaul of its Mac lineup to meet demand for AI-powered computers, with new versions of every Mac product expected. That could support future hardware upgrades and help Apple participate more directly in the AI spending cycle. Apple Plans To Overhaul Computers to Meet AI Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also set to launch a new “Apple Upgrade” device leasing program with Klarna, which could make iPhones, Macs, iPads and Apple Watches easier to finance and potentially lift replacement demand. Apple to launch 'Upgrade' device leasing program to spur sales, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators remain constructive on Apple’s long-term momentum, arguing the company’s ecosystem, pricing power and upcoming product cycle still support the stock despite recent volatility. Why Apple (AAPL) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Samsung’s new foldable launches and rising prices highlight the competitive pressure in premium mobile devices, while also signaling that Apple’s expected entry into foldables is increasingly on investors’ radar. Samsung unveils wider foldable phone, hikes prices as chip costs rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains a top-market-cap stock and is trading near peak valuations, which keeps sentiment mixed heading into earnings and makes the shares more sensitive to any disappointment. Is Apple stock overvalued? Here's what AlphaSpace valuation metrics say.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple lost a key court bid in its Masimo dispute, leaving a $634 million Apple Watch patent verdict in place. That legal overhang is a direct negative for sentiment because it preserves a costly judgment and keeps the litigation risk alive. Apple Fails to Overturn $634 Million Masimo Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and analysts are warning that Apple’s stock has become expensive after a strong run, which is pressuring the shares as traders lock in gains ahead of earnings. The Risk in Apple's Stock That Nobody Is Talking About

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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