Balentine LLC Purchases 18,322 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Balentine LLC increased its Apple stake by 36% in the fourth quarter, buying 18,322 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 69,165 shares worth about $18.8 million.
• Apple recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 and revenue of $111.18 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.
• The stock was down 1.8% as investors weighed mixed signals, including optimism around upcoming AI and WWDC-related product updates versus concerns about slowing iPhone demand and broader smartphone market weakness.

Balentine LLC grew its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,165 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 18,322 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 0.7% of Balentine LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Balentine LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $18,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. PayPay Securities Corp lifted its position in shares of Apple by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 365 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $112,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly preparing an iPhone Wallet feature that could split bills from a receipt, assign items to different people, and generate payment requests through Apple Cash. That would strengthen Apple’s payments ecosystem and could help Wallet compete more directly with Venmo and Cash App. Apple Set to Accelerate Wallet War With Automated Bill Splitting
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising price targets ahead of WWDC, betting that Apple’s Siri and broader AI upgrades could be a catalyst for the shares if the company shows meaningful progress at its developer event. Apple (AAPL) Stock Gains Momentum as Analysts Boost Targets Before WWDC Siri Unveiling
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed Apple as an attractive AI-related stock, reflecting ongoing investor interest in Apple’s product cycle, services growth, and potential AI-driven refreshes. Apple Inc. (AAPL): One of the Promising Stocks to Buy According to AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple teased WWDC 2026 with a new “All Systems Glow” tagline and wallpapers, which points to an upcoming software announcement but does not by itself change fundamentals. All Systems Glow: Apple Teases WWDC 2026 With New Tagline, Playlist, Wallpapers
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is reportedly targeting a late-2027 launch for smart glasses, signaling a longer AI development timeline; that may support the long-term story, but it also suggests Apple’s next major wearable is still far away. Apple reportedly targeting 2027 launch for smart glasses amid AI refinement efforts
• Negative Sentiment: Apple fell on reports that the global smartphone market is nearing a record shipment decline, reinforcing worries about slower iPhone demand and a softer handset upgrade cycle. Apple Stock (AAPL) Falls as Global Smartphone Market Approaches Record Shipment Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Dell’s new XPS 13 laptop is drawing attention as a direct rival to Apple’s MacBook Neo, adding to competitive pressure in PCs and reminding investors that Apple faces rivals across multiple hardware categories. Dell Stock Extends Massive Rally on Morgan Stanley Upgrade, New Apple-Rivaling Laptop

Apple Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $306.31 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.07 and a 52 week high of $315.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.04, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $276.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.28.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Apple's payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $310.31.

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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