Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 61.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 59,048 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 22,381 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 1.9% of Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $14,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Apple by 6.7% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 691,690 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $175,544,000 after buying an additional 43,242 shares during the period. IFS Group LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the first quarter worth $1,718,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its holdings in Apple by 165.2% during the first quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 591,698 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $150,167,000 after buying an additional 368,606 shares during the period. Encore Global Management LP bought a new stake in Apple during the 1st quarter valued at $1,903,000. Finally, Smith Group Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 311,523 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $79,061,000 after acquiring an additional 14,556 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.
Key Apple News
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing DRAM chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for iPhones and MacBooks and has discussed potential supply arrangements. Diversifying memory suppliers could reduce shortages and limit cost pressure, although geopolitical and quality-control risks remain. Apple’s CXMT Bet Could Strengthen Its Memory Supply, But Risks Remain
- Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly in talks with publishers to license content for an AI-powered Siri. Access to current, high-quality information could improve Siri as Apple prepares a major AI-focused iPhone software update. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
- Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter remained strong, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding consensus estimates. Some investors also view the recent pullback as an accumulation opportunity, while Crake Asset Management reportedly increased its Apple position.
- Neutral Sentiment: Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nate Gatten to lead government affairs, highlighting the importance of tariffs, regulation and White House relations. The appointment could improve policy execution but also underscores heightened political risk. Apple Hires Former American Airlines Executive to Lead Government Affairs
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook is expected to hand leadership to John Ternus on September 1, while Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey plans to retire in October. The transitions create execution uncertainty but may also mark a planned leadership refresh.
- Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its Apple rating and price target, questioning whether the company has sufficient iPhone and AI momentum to justify its premium valuation. The firm also cited supply-chain concerns about a high-end all-glass iPhone and weaker average-selling-price growth. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
- Negative Sentiment: Memory shortages driven by AI demand are raising Apple’s bill of materials and could pressure margins or force additional iPhone price increases. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition in AI-enabled smartphones. Apple additionally faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its iCloud+ privacy claims misled consumers.
Apple Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $302.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $284.64. The stock has a market cap of $4.41 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.66, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.78 and a 12 month high of $344.57.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.
Apple Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. DZ Bank lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $328.60.
Read Our Latest Report on Apple
Insider Buying and Selling at Apple
In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.
Apple Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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