Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Lessened by William Mack & Associates Inc.

Key Points

• William Mack & Associates Inc. cut its Apple stake by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,795 shares and ending with 34,322 shares worth about $9.33 million.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.01 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion versus $109.46 billion, with revenue up 16.6% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 from $0.26, while analysts remain largely positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $312.82.

William Mack & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,322 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,795 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 4.4% of William Mack & Associates Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. William Mack & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $9,331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the first quarter valued at approximately $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% in the second 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. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 1.2%

AAPL stock opened at $307.34 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.51 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $195.07 and a one year high of $316.94. The company's 50 day moving average price is $281.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The business's revenue 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. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AAPL. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $335.00 price target (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $312.82.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s WWDC keynote is expected to highlight a revamped Siri, Apple Intelligence updates, and a broader AI strategy, which could act as a near-term catalyst if the company shows meaningful progress. Will WWDC Drive Apple Stock (AAPL) Higher? Here’s What Analysts Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive, with Citi reiterating a Buy and Wedbush reaffirming Outperform with a $400 target, citing Apple’s AI inflection point and resilient iPhone fundamentals. Asiya Merchant Reiterates Buy on Apple, Citing AI Strategy Inflection and Resilient iPhone Fundamentals
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s App Store update showed $1.4 trillion in sales and billings last year, reinforcing the scale of its Services ecosystem even as most transactions did not carry a commission. Apple touts $1.4 trillion in App Store billings and sales, 90% without a commission
• Positive Sentiment: Foxconn raised its second-quarter outlook, a constructive signal for Apple’s supply chain and iPhone demand, since Foxconn is Apple’s top iPhone assembler. Taiwan's Foxconn raises guidance for second-quarter outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Apple may rely on Google cloud infrastructure and Nvidia chips to power a redesigned Siri suggest the company is prioritizing speed to market, but they also underscore that Apple is leaning on outside partners for its AI push. Apple Taps Google to Prep Siri For September Revamp
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage warns that Apple still faces a high bar to justify its valuation, and UBS noted decelerating App Store growth could pressure the Services growth story if AI execution disappoints. Investors Should Worry About Apple’s (AAPL) Decelerating App Store Growth, Says UBS

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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