Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its Apple stake by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 31,284 additional shares and bringing its total to 1,001,087 shares valued at about $272.2 million. Apple is now the firm’s second-largest holding, making up roughly 3.2% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, posting $2.01 EPS versus the $1.95 consensus and revenue of $111.18 billion, above expectations. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 8.74.
• The company also raised its dividend to $0.27 per quarter from $0.26, while shares recently traded near their 52-week high at $308.82. Despite the positive fundamentals, insiders have been selling stock, including recent sales by Ben Borders and CFO Kevan Parekh.

Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,001,087 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 31,284 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.2% of Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $272,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 40,543 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $308.82 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.46 and a 52 week high of $311.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $270.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $268.90.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly cutting prices in China ahead of the June 18 “618” shopping holiday, a move that could boost unit sales and help defend market share in a key region, according to Wedbush. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 18
• Positive Sentiment: Apple was highlighted as a top-ranked momentum stock by Zacks, reinforcing the idea that the shares continue to attract technical and style-based buying interest. Apple (AAPL) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Memorial Day tech promotions featuring Apple products may support short-term demand and keep the brand top of mind with consumers during a heavy shopping period. Memorial Day tech sales are live: Save up to 50% off on some of our favorite gadgets at Amazon, Apple, Best Buy and more
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces framed Apple as a core mega-cap stock, but they did not introduce new fundamentals that would materially change the near-term outlook. Instead of Chasing Alpha, Here Are 4 Ways to Pick the Low-Hanging Apples
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles discussed Apple in broader tech or portfolio contexts, including comparisons with Microsoft and ETF exposure, which are more informational than stock-moving on their own. Apple vs. Microsoft: What Their Revenue Trends Reveal for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei’s new smartphone chip plans add another competitive overhang for Apple, raising concerns about iPhone demand in China and the broader premium-phone market. Huawei unveils new smartphone chips this fall as rivalry with Nvidia and Apple heats up
• Negative Sentiment: A Bloomberg report said Apple’s Watch and health strategy needs a reboot to stay competitive, suggesting wearables remain an area where rivals could gain ground. Apple’s Watch and Health Efforts Need Reboot to Rival New Wearables
• Negative Sentiment: Some opinion pieces argued Apple may eventually lose momentum versus other mega-cap winners, which could weigh on sentiment even though these were long-term speculative takes rather than immediate catalysts. 3 Reasons Apple Will Be Booted From The Magnificent 7 By The End Of 2030

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Moffett Nathanson boosted their price target on Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $308.74.

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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