Apple Inc. $AAPL is Tradewinds LLC.'s Largest Position

Key Points

• Tradewinds LLC. remains heavily invested in Apple: It reduced its position by 4.4% in the first quarter but still held 74,352 shares worth about $20.8 million, representing 7.7% of its portfolio and its largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results: Earnings per share reached $2.01, exceeding the $1.95 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 16.6% year over year to $111.18 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, but valuation is elevated: Apple has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $327.40, while its shares trade near a record high at roughly 41 times earnings, leaving room for downside if results or its AI strategy disappoint.

Tradewinds LLC. cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,352 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 3,462 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 7.7% of Tradewinds LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Tradewinds LLC.'s holdings in Apple were worth $20,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Investment Co lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,902,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Up 1.2%

AAPL stock opened at $336.91 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $307.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $279.61. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $201.50 and a one year high of $339.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $276.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial set a $380.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Monday, July 20th. KGI Securities cut Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.40.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market-cap leadership and momentum: Apple reclaimed the title of the world’s largest company as Nvidia shares declined. The move reinforces investor confidence in Apple’s resilient consumer business and has made AAPL a relative outperformer among major technology stocks. Apple ends day as world's most valuable company, passing Nvidia
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings optimism: Apple reports results on July 30, with analysts expecting continued iPhone demand, Services growth, and potentially strong Mac revenue. Goldman Sachs raised its price target and expects performance above consensus on iPhone and Mac sales, while Bank of America anticipates a Services-driven earnings beat. Goldman Raises Apple Stock Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Investor positioning: Options activity indicates traders are preparing for a sizable upward move following earnings. The stock has risen about 20% from its late-June low, reflecting elevated expectations for the report and Apple’s product ecosystem. Apple options are doing something unusual into earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Future product catalysts: Apple is reportedly emphasizing privacy as it develops smart glasses for a potential 2027 launch, while investors continue to speculate about a foldable iPhone and incoming CEO John Ternus’s ability to drive the next major product cycle. Apple Puts Privacy at Center of Smart Glasses Push
• Negative Sentiment: AI execution concerns: Investors remain divided over Apple’s comparatively restrained AI spending and strategy, particularly as rivals commit hundreds of billions of dollars to AI infrastructure. A disappointing outlook or evidence that Apple is falling behind could pressure the stock after its strong run. Apple Is Barely Spending on AI
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and component-cost risks: At roughly 41 times earnings, Apple has limited room for an earnings miss. Potential tariffs and higher memory-chip prices could increase iPhone production costs and compress hardware margins, although Apple is reportedly seeking permission to use Chinese memory components in international devices. Apple stock and memory-cost analysis

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

About Apple

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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