Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Retirement Planning Group LLC

Key Points

• Retirement Planning Group LLC cut its Apple stake by 10.5% in the first quarter, selling 18,964 shares and retaining 161,459 shares worth approximately $41 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $327.40, although some analysts warn that its elevated valuation and slowing growth leave limited room for disappointment.
• Apple recently reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue up 16.6% year over year, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share. Investors are watching upcoming earnings for updates on iPhone and Services demand, margins, tariffs and component costs.

Retirement Planning Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 10.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 161,459 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 18,964 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 1.3% of Retirement Planning Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Retirement Planning Group LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $40,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 1st quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in Apple by 890.7% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $11,413,990,000 after purchasing an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of earnings. Analysts expect continued strength in iPhone and Services revenue, while Goldman Sachs raised its price target and projected outperformance in iPhone and Mac sales. Options activity also indicates expectations for a substantial post-earnings move. Goldman raises Apple price target
• Positive Sentiment: Apple launched Apple Upgrade, a U.S. leasing program powered by Klarna. Customers can lease iPhones, Macs, iPads and Apple Watches through monthly payments, including iPhone plans starting at $17.99. The program could improve affordability, support upgrade frequency and broaden access to Apple’s hardware ecosystem. Apple launches US device leasing program with Klarna
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s privacy positioning is receiving favorable attention after users’ seemingly private Claude AI conversations appeared in Google search results. The publicity may reinforce Apple’s privacy brand, although the direct financial impact is unclear. Claude chats exposed in Google searches
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are elevated. KeyBanc remains bearish, citing slowing unit and user growth, while Apple’s premium earnings multiple leaves limited room for an earnings or outlook disappointment. Investors will closely watch iPhone demand, Services growth, margins and management commentary during Tim Cook’s final earnings call as CEO. Apple earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and component costs could pressure hardware margins, particularly if tariffs restrict Apple’s access to lower-cost Chinese suppliers. Separately, a lawsuit alleges that a fraudulent Bitcoin wallet app on the App Store caused about $1.8 million in losses, creating a modest App Store oversight and reputational risk. Memory tariffs and Apple margins

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.40.

Insider Activity

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

Apple Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $340.08 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $308.22 and a 200-day moving average of $280.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $4.99 trillion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.50 and a twelve month high of $342.89.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.65 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 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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