Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Hartline Investment Corp

Key Points

• Hartline Investment Corp. reduced its Apple stake by 5.1% in the second quarter, selling 11,086 shares and retaining 206,288 shares valued at approximately $59.7 million. Apple remains Hartline’s fifth-largest holding and represents 5.2% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital and Morgan Stanley among the largest shareholders. Apple insiders have also sold shares recently, though one transaction covered tax withholding obligations.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $330.61, while investors focus on upcoming product launches and risks including lawsuits, rising component costs and doubts about foldable-device demand.

Hartline Investment Corp trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 206,288 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 11,086 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 5.2% of Hartline Investment Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Hartline Investment Corp's holdings in Apple were worth $59,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Apple by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Apple by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $164,218,801,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555,392 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.6% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% 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 sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock valued at $1,823,201. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $328.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $4.79 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.64, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.08. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $225.95 and a 52-week high of $344.57. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $314.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $290.13.

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, topping 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event, the first major launch under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus described the event as “phenomenal,” raising expectations for new premium iPhones and the company’s first foldable iPhone. Apple’s New CEO Teases “Phenomenal” iPhone Launch
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone could provide a significant new growth catalyst. Morgan Stanley estimates the device could contribute approximately $14 billion to the December quarter, while other projections suggest strong market share and premium pricing potential if demand materializes. Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Contribute $14 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $360 price target, supporting the view that Apple’s product pipeline and earnings growth can justify its premium valuation. Apple’s services business also continues to benefit from price increases to Apple TV and Apple One. Apple TV Price Hike
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has formally succeeded Tim Cook, while Cook remains executive chairman. The structure provides continuity and preserves Cook’s government and China relationships, but Ternus must prove that a product-focused strategy can improve Apple’s position in AI. Apple Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform, reportedly citing the cancellation of an all-glass MacBook or foldable MacBook project and skepticism that the foldable iPhone will be more than a niche product. Jefferies Downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) UK lawsuit alleging that its App Tracking Transparency rules unfairly restrict third-party developers while favoring Apple’s own advertising services. BASF has also filed a separate patent lawsuit over face-authentication technology. BASF Patent Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could lift iPhone production expenses sharply, forcing Apple to raise prices, accept lower margins or risk weaker demand. Analysts remain divided, with DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating and a $270 price target. Apple Product and Leadership Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: An Apple senior vice president sold 1,439 shares worth about $456,000. The sale was relatively small, leaving the executive with nearly 35,800 shares, but it may add modestly to near-term investor caution. Apple Insider Trading Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.61.

Apple 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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