Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Purchased by Sonata Capital Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sonata Capital Group increased its Apple stake by 18.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 53,870 shares valued at about $14.6 million. Apple is now its fourth-largest holding and makes up roughly 5.3% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 versus the $1.95 consensus and revenue of $111.18 billion, ahead of expectations. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts now project full-year EPS of 8.74.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26, signaling continued capital returns to shareholders. Meanwhile, analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.74.

Sonata Capital Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,870 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 8,502 shares during the period. Apple comprises about 5.3% of Sonata Capital Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Sonata Capital Group Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $14,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. PayPay Securities Corp grew its stake in shares of Apple by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 365 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $112,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $293.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business's 50 day moving average is $261.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.04. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.46 and a 52 week high of $294.76. The company has a market cap of $4.31 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm's revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush lifted Apple’s price target to $400 and said AI could drive a major growth wave for AAPL. Apple price target boosted by Wedbush on AI monetization expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple reached a preliminary chip-making deal with Intel boosted confidence in Apple’s manufacturing strategy and supply chain flexibility. Apple, Intel Have Reached Preliminary Chip-Making Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see WWDC as a potential inflection point, with upcoming AI-related software features seen as a possible catalyst for Apple’s next leg higher. Apple’s biggest bull is now calling for a 37% stock jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains near its recent highs after strong quarterly results, keeping investor expectations elevated ahead of the next catalyst. Dow Jones Futures: Market At Highs With Iran, Trump-Xi Summit In Focus; Apple, Nvidia, Boeing In Buy Areas
• Negative Sentiment: Apple also faces ongoing legal and regulatory noise, including a Siri settlement and App Store antitrust disputes, which could weigh on sentiment if they escalate. Apple promised a smarter Siri, but a lawsuit says it didn’t deliver—and you can get up to $95 back

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 96,485 shares of company stock valued at $24,594,845 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Maxim Group upgraded Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group set a $296.00 price target on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.74.

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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