Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Sold by Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC

Key Points

• Wescott Financial Advisory Group reduced its Apple stake by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,934 shares and ending with 59,262 shares valued at about $16.1 million.
• Apple reported better-than-expected fiscal results, earning $2.01 per share on $111.18 billion in revenue, with revenue up 16.6% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26.
• Despite a mixed analyst backdrop, Apple still carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $314.59, while the stock recently traded up 1.4% at $295.63.

Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,262 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,934 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 1.4% of Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $16,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 6.4% in the third quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 15.7% in the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 40,543 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $295.63 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.75, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $195.07 and a 1-year high of $317.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $284.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.14.

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 firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during 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 for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $310.00 price objective (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. Tigress Financial reiterated 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 reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $314.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators say Apple’s new Siri AI, stronger AI integration across iOS/macOS, and continued iPhone growth could support a longer-term upgrade cycle and services expansion. AI Integration and iPhone Growth Assert Apple Inc. (AAPL) as One of the Best Forever Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Apple, signaling confidence in profit growth over the next two fiscal years.
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors see Apple as a durable large-cap holding with strong cash flow, margins, and a favorable balance sheet, which may help limit downside. Does Apple Stock Have More Upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports said the WWDC AI reveal was solid but not a major surprise, which may explain why the market’s reaction has been muted. Apple Unveils Siri AI. Here's Why It's Not Impressing Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage noted that Siri’s upgrades are promising, but questions remain about whether they are enough to reaccelerate the stock near term. Siri upgrades show promise, but questions remain
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer and other commentators described Apple as one of the cleanest big-cap stories, but also suggested the broader market is cautious around the AI rollout timing. Apple's AI News Underwhelms. Siri AI Release Concerns Persist.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Apple’s AI announcement may not be enough to lift the stock because the monetization timeline is still unclear. Apple Just Introduced Next-Generation Siri AI at WWDC. Why That Might Not Be Enough to Give AAPL Stock a Boost.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage from investors and traders suggests the market is still skeptical that Siri AI will materially change Apple’s competitive position versus rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in the near term. Apple Just Delivered Bad News for OpenAI and Anthropic, but Alphabet Could Be a Winner

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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