Apple Inc. $AAPL Position Decreased by Atmos Capital Gestao DE Recursos LTDA.

Key Points

• Atmos Capital Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. reduced its Apple stake by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,558 shares and leaving it with 49,735 shares worth about $13.5 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $314.59. Several analysts recently reiterated bullish targets, including Bank of America at $380 and Wells Fargo at $310.
• Apple posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 and revenue of $111.18 billion, both topping estimates. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26.

Atmos Capital Gestao DE Recursos LTDA. lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,735 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 13,558 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 1.8% of Atmos Capital Gestao DE Recursos LTDA.'s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Atmos Capital Gestao DE Recursos LTDA.'s holdings in Apple were worth $13,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 5,808 shares during the period. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its position in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" 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-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.59.

Apple Price Performance

Apple stock opened at $298.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.38 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50-day moving average is $289.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.98. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.85 and a 12-month high of $317.40.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s planned price increases could protect margins as memory and storage costs rise, and Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating with a $380 target, citing Apple’s pricing power and supply-chain strength. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports of upcoming AI-focused devices and a second-generation iPhone Air support confidence in Apple’s product pipeline and longer-term growth story. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s planned price hikes may help earnings, but they could also pressure demand if consumers balk at higher handset prices. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple opening Brazil’s App Store to alternative marketplaces reduces regulatory friction there, but it also underscores ongoing global platform scrutiny. Article Title

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,875 shares of company stock valued at $24,998,541. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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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