Apple Inc. $AAPL Stock Holdings Lifted by Cooper Financial Group

Key Points

• Cooper Financial Group increased its Apple position by 2.2% in the second quarter to 162,755 shares valued at approximately $47.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding the $1.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $330.53, but some firms downgraded the stock amid concerns over its high valuation, AI execution, leadership transition and competitive pressures.

Cooper Financial Group boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 162,755 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 3,445 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.9% of Cooper Financial Group's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Cooper Financial Group's holdings in Apple were worth $47,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AAPL. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 5.1% during the second quarter. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC now owns 7,105 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,056,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Factor Wealth Management LTD lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 4.5% during the second quarter. Factor Wealth Management LTD now owns 35,111 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $10,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,520 shares during the period. Praetorian Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Apple by 1.8% in the second quarter. Praetorian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 18,960 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,486,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. DWR Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 0.9% in the second quarter. DWR Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,403 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $7,721,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bannerman Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 16.4% in the second quarter. Bannerman Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,463 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Incoming CEO John Ternus is expected to reassess Apple’s research-and-development budget and potentially increase spending on AI. Analysts see stronger investment in Siri and other AI products as a way to close the gap with technology rivals. Apple Could Get a New R&D and AI Budget
• Positive Sentiment: Potential product catalysts include an AI-enhanced Siri expected later this year, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027 and a foldable iPhone that one analyst estimates could sell 14 million units by 2027. Successful launches could support a major upgrade cycle. Apple Wants to Pay Publishers to Improve Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s nationwide rollout of contactless payments will add Apple Pay acceptance across its U.S. stores, websites and apps. The move expands Apple Pay’s reach and strengthens Apple’s services ecosystem. Walmart Adds Apple Pay Nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity showed a modestly bullish bias, with calls outnumbering puts, while implied volatility remained below its 52-week median. However, the signal was not strong enough to establish a decisive near-term direction. Apple Options Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s leadership change on September 1 is creating both opportunity and uncertainty. Bank of America maintains a Buy view but says Ternus must deliver more surprising products and technologies because the company has become increasingly predictable. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise
• Negative Sentiment: Apple reportedly cut more than 200 positions tied to Siri and the Vision Pro headset while redirecting resources toward future devices. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but it also highlights execution challenges in AI and spatial computing.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have warned that Apple’s insulation from macroeconomic and competitive headwinds is fading. With shares trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be less tolerant of slower growth, regulatory pressure and delays in AI products. Apple’s Immunity to Headwinds Is Fading
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple is quietly shifting attention toward China add geopolitical and demand risk, while its substantial tax settlement and filings highlighting large profits routed through Ireland could renew regulatory scrutiny.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction is relatively small and does not necessarily signal a change in fundamentals, but it provides a modest negative headline.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $309.35 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $310.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $287.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $4.51 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $224.69 and a one year high of $344.57.

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 (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 38,668 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,890,023.32. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 2,994 shares of company stock valued at $919,567 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $285.56 to $263.66 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on Apple and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.53.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source