Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Newly Bought by Whalen Wealth Management Inc.

Key Points

• Whalen Wealth Management acquired 21,572 Apple shares worth approximately $6.24 million in the second quarter, making Apple its fourth-largest holding at 2.8% of the portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $340.14, although some firms recently downgraded the stock to “Hold.”
• Apple’s latest quarter showed strong momentum, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and EPS beating estimates, but investors face risks from elevated valuation, rising component costs, AI competition, legal challenges and product issues.

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 21,572 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $6,242,000. Apple accounts for 2.8% of Whalen Wealth Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the second quarter worth $107,107,000. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $14,329,000. Ames National Corp bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $5,075,000. Capstone Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at $281,000. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,464,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. KGI Securities downgraded shares of 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. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Phillip Securities raised their price target on shares of Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, China Renaissance downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total transaction of $815,803.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 44,391 shares in the company, valued at $15,095,603.46. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 11,031 shares of company stock valued at $3,535,759 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone 18 demand remains encouraging. Long lines in India and strong interest in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max suggest Apple’s premium pricing is holding up in an important growth market. Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380 from $365 while maintaining an outperform rating. Apple iPhone demand in India
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and technical positioning remain supportive. AAPL has gained roughly 10% over the past month and is approaching a potential buy point, helping sustain investor interest. Bank of America and JPMorgan have reiterated bullish ratings, while several analysts maintain targets above the current trading range. Apple stock approaches buy point
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is expanding its product ecosystem. The company plans a refreshed HomePod mini, while reports suggest it may develop its own AI server chips. These initiatives could support future ecosystem engagement and infrastructure efficiency, but they are not yet material earnings drivers. Apple to release new HomePod mini
• Negative Sentiment: Rising component costs could pressure margins. Bernstein warned that surging memory and other smartphone component costs may weigh on gross margins and earnings in the December quarter, particularly as Apple introduces more expensive iPhones. Apple’s expensive new iPhones and margins
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI execution remain key risks. At nearly $5 trillion in market value and about 38–39 times earnings, Apple requires continued earnings growth to justify its valuation. Analysts argue Alphabet’s Gemini ecosystem and monetization progress currently give it an edge in consumer AI, while Meta’s AI devices add competitive pressure. Alphabet versus Apple in consumer AI
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and product issues add uncertainty. A judge certified a class of payment card issuers in an Apple Pay antitrust lawsuit alleging improper fees. Separately, Apple is preparing a software fix for an iPhone 18 Pro reboot problem. Apple Pay class-action lawsuit

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $341.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.98 trillion, a PE ratio of 39.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $345.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $297.37.

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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. 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 firm earned $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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