Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Becker Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Becker Capital Management increased its Apple stake by 3.6% in the second quarter, adding 22,111 shares to hold 635,045 shares valued at approximately $183.8 million. Apple now represents 4.9% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutions and hedge funds own 67.73% of AAPL.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $334.91, despite several recent downgrades to “Hold” or “Neutral.” Apple’s latest quarter beat expectations, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings of $2.02 per share.
• Apple’s foldable iPhone launch could drive a new upgrade cycle, but investors face risks from rising component costs, potential margin pressure, stronger Chinese competition and mixed Wall Street expectations. An Apple senior vice president also sold about $456,000 worth of shares, though insider ownership remains low at 0.06%.

Becker Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 635,045 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 22,111 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for 4.9% of Becker Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Becker Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $183,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AAPL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in Apple by 890.7% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after buying an additional 37,746,784 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,553,753,000 after acquiring an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AAPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. KGI Securities cut Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Moffett Nathanson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $304.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price objective (down from $380.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. Finally, DZ Bank cut Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $334.91.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.23, for a total transaction of $456,176.74. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 34,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,897,484.96. The trade was a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378 over the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the $1,999 iPhone Duo, which is scheduled to reach stores October 23. Analysts believe the device could stimulate upgrades, expand ecosystem engagement and add a significant premium-revenue stream. Some bullish estimates suggest foldables could eventually represent 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Investors viewed the launch as evidence of renewed hardware innovation under CEO John Ternus. Alongside the Duo, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro models, new Apple Watches, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 price target, while Citi and other analysts also remained constructive. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions may improve affordability. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are introducing installment and trade-in offers for the expensive Duo, potentially reducing sticker-price resistance without triggering an industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America kept its Buy rating but reduced its price target to $370, citing an earnings tradeoff, while Rosenblatt retained a $303 Neutral target. The key questions are demand, supply constraints and whether premium pricing offsets higher component costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure is a major risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Analysts warn that the price increases may not fully protect profitability, particularly during the initial foldable launch period.
• Negative Sentiment: China presents a tougher competitive backdrop. Apple’s new CEO faces stronger local rivals, including Huawei, and uncertainty over whether the Duo can regain momentum in China. The broader market also faced pressure from surging oil prices and Treasury yields, increasing the risk of multiple compression.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares for approximately $456,000, reducing her direct ownership by about 4%, though she continues to hold a substantial position.

Apple Stock Up 3.6%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $326.57 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.77 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.45, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $317.73 and a 200-day moving average of $292.17. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $226.65 and a 1-year high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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