Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Decreased by Ifrah Financial Services Inc.

Key Points

• Ifrah Financial Services Inc. cut its Apple stake by 7.9% in the first quarter, selling 5,932 shares and ending with 69,565 shares valued at about $17.7 million. Apple remains its third-largest holding and makes up 4.7% of the portfolio.
• Apple’s stock has seen mixed investor activity and insider selling: institutional ownership remains high at 67.73%, while insiders sold 2,924 shares over the last quarter. Recent insider sales included CFO Kevan Parekh and Ben Borders.
• Despite the stake reduction, Apple has had supportive fundamentals and positive sentiment, including a stronger-than-expected latest quarter, a dividend increase, and analyst optimism with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $314.85.

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. decreased its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,565 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 5,932 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 4.7% of Ifrah Financial Services Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Ifrah Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $17,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan reportedly raised its price target on Apple, reinforcing bullish expectations heading into fiscal Q3 earnings and signaling confidence in Apple’s growth and margins. J.P. Morgan Lifts Apple Stock (AAPL) Price Target Ahead of Q3 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s extended chip partnership with Broadcom through 2031 strengthens its AI and connectivity supply chain, improving visibility for future products and supporting sentiment around Apple’s long-term execution. Broadcom, Apple extend chip partnership through 2031
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports say investors are warming to Apple’s “cheap AI” strategy, with attention shifting to Macs, Siri, and other ecosystem features rather than just the iPhone, which could create new upside drivers. Why Investors Fell Back In Love With Apple’s Cheap AI Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said Apple should be able to weather hardware price increases because demand remains resilient, suggesting consumers may be less price-sensitive than feared. Apple Sales Seen Weathering Hardware Price Increases

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,924 shares of company stock valued at $825,546. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Maxim Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $314.85.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $310.66 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.50 and a fifty-two week high of $317.40. The business has a fifty day moving average of $296.83 and a 200-day moving average of $274.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.10.

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. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. 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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