Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Decreased by Associated Banc Corp

Key Points

• Associated Banc Corp reduced its Apple stake by 1.6% in the second quarter, selling 9,391 shares and retaining 561,437 shares worth approximately $162.5 million. Apple remains 3.9% of the bank’s portfolio and its sixth-largest holding.
• Apple holds a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average analyst price target of $331.53, although recent opinions range from Barclays’ $245 target and “underweight” rating to $400 targets from TD Cowen and Wedbush.
• Apple’s shares opened at $316.22, while its latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with $2.02 EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue. Investors are also weighing potential growth from a foldable iPhone against memory-cost pressures, strong competition and the risk of a “sell-the-news” reaction.

Associated Banc Corp cut its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 561,437 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 9,391 shares during the period. Apple makes up 3.9% of Associated Banc Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Associated Banc Corp's holdings in Apple were worth $162,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Morgan Stanley estimates the foldable could ship about 6.5 million units in the December quarter and generate approximately $14 billion in revenue, creating a potentially significant new growth category. Apple’s foldable iPhone could add $14 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and a $380 price target, anticipating a roughly $2,099 foldable model and higher prices for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. Premium pricing could support revenue and margins if demand holds. Apple’s Wednesday event and Bank of America’s price target
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s acquisition of Sonera Magnetics, a company developing non-invasive neural-signal sensors, could strengthen its long-term health, wearable and human-computer-interface ambitions. The deal was completed in May but became public through a European Commission notice. Apple Purchases Neural Signal Sensor Company Sonera
• Neutral Sentiment: The launch is also the first major keynote for new CEO John Ternus. Investors will look for evidence that his leadership can accelerate hardware innovation while addressing Apple’s perceived artificial-intelligence shortcomings. Apple’s New CEO Has a Hardware Event and an AI Problem
• Neutral Sentiment: Historical analysis suggests Apple stock often has a muted or mixed reaction after major iPhone reveals, increasing the risk that strong results are already reflected in the valuation. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple position provides a supportive long-term signal but is not a near-term catalyst. How Apple stock usually reacts to big iPhone reveal events
• Negative Sentiment: AI data-center demand is diverting premium memory capacity away from smartphone components, potentially raising Apple’s costs and pressuring iPhone margins. AI diverts memory from phones
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei and Xiaomi have launched premium foldables ahead of Apple, raising competitive pressure—particularly in China. Analysts also warn that the stock could experience a “sell-the-news” reaction because expectations and valuation are high. Huawei launches a tri-fold smartphone ahead of Apple

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut Apple from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $285.56 to $263.66 in a report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.53.

Apple Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $316.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $225.95 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $316.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.35.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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