Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by American Trust

American Trust cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 17.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,094 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 11,961 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 1.3% of American Trust's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. American Trust's holdings in Apple were worth $14,236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Overbrook Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Apple by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Overbrook Management Corp now owns 104,648 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $28,449,000 after acquiring an additional 38,174 shares during the period. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 14.1% in the first quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,178,000. Summit Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 108.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corp purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $105,482,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Morgan Stanley set a $364.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Maxim Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 price target (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.40.

Apple Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $333.02 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.50 and a 1 year high of $334.99. The company has a market capitalization of $4.89 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $306.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $279.01.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

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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