Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Acquired by Natural Investments LLC

Key Points

• Natural Investments LLC increased its Apple position by 1.8% in the second quarter, owning 117,657 shares worth approximately $34.0 million. Apple represents 7.8% of the firm’s portfolio and is its largest holding.
• Other institutional investors also boosted their Apple holdings, and institutions collectively own 67.73% of the stock. Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, exceeding analyst expectations.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $340.02 price target, though concerns include a $5.7 billion patent verdict, rising component costs, AI competition, and limited upside following Apple’s strong share-price performance.

Natural Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 117,657 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 2,030 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 7.8% of Natural Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Natural Investments LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $34,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Evergreen Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 5.5% during the second quarter. Evergreen Wealth Management LLC now owns 952 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Camden National Bank raised its holdings in Apple by 5.2% in the second quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 15,448 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $4,470,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Manuka Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 240.2% during the second quarter. Manuka Financial LLC now owns 11,899 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,443,000 after buying an additional 8,401 shares during the last quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the second quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 94,384 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $27,311,000 after buying an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Payden & Rygel boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 275.8% in the 2nd quarter. Payden & Rygel now owns 138,310 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $40,021,000 after buying an additional 101,510 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is launching new safeguards designed to protect its devices from probing AI agents. The move may strengthen user trust and help preserve Apple’s security-focused ecosystem as agentic AI becomes more prominent. Apple Launches New Safeguards Against AI Agents
• Positive Sentiment: The fall product cycle remains a near-term tailwind. Morgan Stanley modestly raised its revenue forecast after Apple’s launches, while Counterpoint reportedly expects about 6 million sales of the $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo this year. New Apple Watch health features and potential smart-home products could also broaden the company’s ecosystem. Apple’s Fall Product Cycle Could Support Revenue Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an Overweight rating but lowered its price target to $355 from $360. Higher memory and component costs, along with possible iPhone pricing pressure, are offsetting much of the expected product-revenue benefit. Morgan Stanley Adjusts Price Target on Apple
• Negative Sentiment: A jury’s $5.7 billion patent verdict against Apple has raised concerns about potential ongoing royalties and pressure on hardware margins. Apple’s $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict Raises a Bigger Royalty Question
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain worried that AI agents from rivals such as Meta could bypass the App Store and weaken Apple’s high-margin services business. Analysts also see limited upside after Apple’s strong run and its relatively rich valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares valued at approximately $806,496, reducing her direct holdings by 5.4%. The transaction is small relative to her remaining stake but adds modest insider-selling pressure. Apple Insider Transaction Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 41,992 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. The trade was a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,430 shares of company stock worth $4,342,255. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $333.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.07. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.42 and a twelve month high of $345.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company's 50 day moving average is $322.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.01.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Apple Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and software platforms, including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and visionOS.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.

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