Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Purchased by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Centaurus Financial increased its Apple position by 5.6% in the first quarter, adding 11,245 shares for a total of 212,892 shares valued at approximately $54 million. Apple now represents about 2.6% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital and Morgan Stanley among the company’s largest holders. Apple recently reported quarterly revenue growth of 16.4% and earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $328.60, although concerns include Apple’s premium valuation, memory-supply costs, AI momentum and increasing smartphone competition.

Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 212,892 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 11,245 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.6% of Centaurus Financial Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Centaurus Financial Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $54,030,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Apple by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $164,218,801,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555,392 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Apple by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $62,659,118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379,651 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $52,266,468,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing DRAM chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for iPhones and MacBooks and has discussed potential supply arrangements. Diversifying memory suppliers could reduce shortages and limit cost pressure, although geopolitical and quality-control risks remain. Apple’s CXMT Bet Could Strengthen Its Memory Supply, But Risks Remain
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly in talks with publishers to license content for an AI-powered Siri. Access to current, high-quality information could improve Siri as Apple prepares a major AI-focused iPhone software update. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter remained strong, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding consensus estimates. Some investors also view the recent pullback as an accumulation opportunity, while Crake Asset Management reportedly increased its Apple position.
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nate Gatten to lead government affairs, highlighting the importance of tariffs, regulation and White House relations. The appointment could improve policy execution but also underscores heightened political risk. Apple Hires Former American Airlines Executive to Lead Government Affairs
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook is expected to hand leadership to John Ternus on September 1, while Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey plans to retire in October. The transitions create execution uncertainty but may also mark a planned leadership refresh.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its Apple rating and price target, questioning whether the company has sufficient iPhone and AI momentum to justify its premium valuation. The firm also cited supply-chain concerns about a high-end all-glass iPhone and weaker average-selling-price growth. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Memory shortages driven by AI demand are raising Apple’s bill of materials and could pressure margins or force additional iPhone price increases. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition in AI-enabled smartphones. Apple additionally faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its iCloud+ privacy claims misled consumers.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AAPL. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $360.00 target price (down from $370.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. KGI Securities cut Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $328.60.

Apple Trading Down 0.9%

AAPL stock opened at $302.25 on Thursday. 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 $223.78 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The stock has a market cap of $4.41 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.66, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.09. The business's 50-day moving average is $309.12 and its 200 day moving average is $284.64.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given 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 is Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company 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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