Apple Inc. $AAPL is Ground Swell Capital LLC's 5th Largest Position

Key Points

• Ground Swell Capital LLC boosted its Apple stake by 442.9% in the first quarter, making Apple its 5th-largest holding. The fund now owns 6,010 shares worth about $1.53 million.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $2.01 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion, topping analyst estimates. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $314.85.

Ground Swell Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 442.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,010 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 4,903 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 3.0% of Ground Swell Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Ground Swell Capital LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $1,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 6.4% in the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Finally, Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $308.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.53 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $201.50 and a one year high of $317.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $295.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $273.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,924 shares of company stock worth $825,546. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple plans at least five new iPhone models through early 2027, including a stronger foldable iPhone push, have reinforced expectations for a fresh product cycle and a longer growth runway. Apple plans five new iPhones through 2027, eyes Chinese-made chips amid foldable push, reports say
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also appears to be benefiting from investor optimism that it can navigate the memory-chip shortage and secure supply, including possible deals with lower-cost Chinese chipmakers, which could help protect future production. Apple negotiates with blacklisted Chinese chipmakers amid AI-driven memory crunch
• Positive Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces said Apple is holding up better than the broader tech sector, with traders viewing recent weakness as a buying opportunity and analysts still pointing to solid upside potential. Apple’s Aggressive Price Hikes Raise Eyebrows As Wall Street Links AI Chip Shortages To Inflation Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s recent price hikes on Macs and iPads are being interpreted two ways: as a sign of inflationary component costs, but also as a margin-protection move that may not hurt demand as much as feared. Jim Cramer’s Latest Thought on Apple Inc. (AAPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s insider-selling activity and mixed institutional positioning are adding caution, but they are not the main driver of the stock today. Apple Stock (AAPL) Opinions on Recent Price Hikes and Analyst Views
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage continues to flag pressure on Apple’s margins and demand if higher component costs force more price increases, which could weigh on sentiment over time. Is Apple stock in trouble? Rising costs threaten margins, demand

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AAPL. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $276.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $314.85.

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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