Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Acquired by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its Apple stake slightly in the fourth quarter, adding 2,680 shares to bring its total to 963,918 shares worth about $262.1 million. Apple remains the firm’s largest holding and represents 2.9% of its portfolio.
• Apple posted strong quarterly results with earnings of $2.01 per share versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion versus $109.46 billion expected. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 8.74.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on Apple, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $310.31. Recent analyst notes included Bank of America raising its target to $380 and Tigress Financial lifting its target to $375.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 963,918 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 2,680 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 2.9% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $262,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its position 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. PayPay Securities Corp boosted its position in shares of Apple by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 365 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth $112,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Down 1.8%

Apple stock opened at $306.31 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $276.58 and its 200-day moving average is $270.28. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $195.07 and a fifty-two week high of $315.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group set a $296.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $310.31.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly preparing an iPhone Wallet feature that could split bills from a receipt, assign items to different people, and generate payment requests through Apple Cash. That would strengthen Apple’s payments ecosystem and could help Wallet compete more directly with Venmo and Cash App. Apple Set to Accelerate Wallet War With Automated Bill Splitting
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising price targets ahead of WWDC, betting that Apple’s Siri and broader AI upgrades could be a catalyst for the shares if the company shows meaningful progress at its developer event. Apple (AAPL) Stock Gains Momentum as Analysts Boost Targets Before WWDC Siri Unveiling
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed Apple as an attractive AI-related stock, reflecting ongoing investor interest in Apple’s product cycle, services growth, and potential AI-driven refreshes. Apple Inc. (AAPL): One of the Promising Stocks to Buy According to AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple teased WWDC 2026 with a new “All Systems Glow” tagline and wallpapers, which points to an upcoming software announcement but does not by itself change fundamentals. All Systems Glow: Apple Teases WWDC 2026 With New Tagline, Playlist, Wallpapers
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is reportedly targeting a late-2027 launch for smart glasses, signaling a longer AI development timeline; that may support the long-term story, but it also suggests Apple’s next major wearable is still far away. Apple reportedly targeting 2027 launch for smart glasses amid AI refinement efforts
• Negative Sentiment: Apple fell on reports that the global smartphone market is nearing a record shipment decline, reinforcing worries about slower iPhone demand and a softer handset upgrade cycle. Apple Stock (AAPL) Falls as Global Smartphone Market Approaches Record Shipment Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Dell’s new XPS 13 laptop is drawing attention as a direct rival to Apple’s MacBook Neo, adding to competitive pressure in PCs and reminding investors that Apple faces rivals across multiple hardware categories. Dell Stock Extends Massive Rally on Morgan Stanley Upgrade, New Apple-Rivaling Laptop

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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