Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Decreased by Belpointe Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Belpointe Asset Management reduced its Apple stake by 0.6% in the second quarter, selling 1,577 shares and retaining 256,991 shares valued at approximately $74.4 million. Apple remains its seventh-largest holding and represents about 2.4% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of Apple’s outstanding shares, with major investors including Vanguard, Norges Bank, Nuveen and Cardano Risk Management making significant position changes.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $334.91, though valuation and margin pressure remain key risks.

Belpointe Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 256,991 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,577 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.4% of Belpointe Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Belpointe Asset Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $74,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the 1st quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its stake 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 valued at $11,413,990,000 after purchasing an additional 37,746,784 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company'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 value of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378 in the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $332.27 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $318.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $292.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.02 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone, scheduled to arrive October 23, could drive upgrades, deepen ecosystem engagement and add a high-margin premium product category. Some analysts believe foldables could eventually account for 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see renewed hardware momentum. Alongside the Duo, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 target, supporting the bullish reaction. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions could reduce sticker-price resistance. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering installment and trade-in incentives for the expensive Duo, potentially broadening access without an immediate industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its price target to $370, while Rosenblatt kept a Neutral rating and $303 target. The debate centers on Duo demand, supply constraints, valuation and the durability of the upgrade cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains the main risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Management has already guided to lower gross margins, raising concerns that pricing may not fully offset higher costs. Apple margin pressure from memory costs
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and competition limit upside. Apple trades near the upper end of its historical earnings multiple, while Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung remain strong competitors in China and the foldable market.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $456,000 of stock, reducing her direct holdings by about 4%, although she retains a substantial position.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AAPL shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $366.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $334.91.

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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