Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Purchased by AR Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• AR Asset Management increased its Apple stake by 7.9% in the first quarter, purchasing 19,649 additional shares for a total of 268,802 shares valued at approximately $68.2 million. Apple now represents 13.2% of the firm’s portfolio and is its largest holding.
• Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s outstanding shares, with several other funds also increasing their positions during the quarter.
• Apple recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.02 in EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue, up 16.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $330.44, although some firms remain cautious about valuation and growth pressures.

AR Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 268,802 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 19,649 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 13.2% of AR Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. AR Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $68,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sachem Hill LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Sachem Hill LLC now owns 1,484 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 27,187 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $6,900,000 after acquiring an additional 4,640 shares during the period. Wiregrass Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Wiregrass Investment Management LLC now owns 30,016 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $7,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,798 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of Apple by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division now owns 185,562 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $47,094,000 after buying an additional 11,460 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Apple by 5.4% in the first quarter. Alpha Financial Partners LLC now owns 7,747 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,966,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook's Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple's Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple's Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $313.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $219.25 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.23.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on AAPL. China Renaissance lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. HSBC upgraded Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned 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 price target of $330.44.

About Apple

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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