Bank Hapoalim BM Makes New $6.78 Million Investment in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Bank Hapoalim BM initiated a $6.78 million Apple stake by purchasing 23,420 shares in the second quarter, making Apple its 19th-largest holding and 0.5% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations, with EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16.4% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $334.91.
• Apple shares opened at $332.27, near their 52-week high, while insider selling and valuation concerns remain risks. Recent analyst views are mixed, and rising component costs could pressure margins despite new-product growth opportunities.

Bank Hapoalim BM bought a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 23,420 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $6,777,000. Apple makes up 0.5% of Bank Hapoalim BM's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 65.6% in the second quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 66,717 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $19,305,000 after buying an additional 26,418 shares during the last quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. raised its position in Apple by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 3,014 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. raised its position in Apple by 21.3% in the 1st quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter worth $1,178,000. Finally, Summit Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 108.3% during the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.23, for a total value of $456,176.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 34,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,897,484.96. The trade was a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. DZ Bank cut Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $334.91.

Apple Stock Up 1.7%

Apple stock opened at $332.27 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $318.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $292.45. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.02 and a 1-year high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's payout ratio is 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone, scheduled to arrive October 23, could drive upgrades, deepen ecosystem engagement and add a high-margin premium product category. Some analysts believe foldables could eventually account for 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see renewed hardware momentum. Alongside the Duo, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 target, supporting the bullish reaction. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions could reduce sticker-price resistance. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering installment and trade-in incentives for the expensive Duo, potentially broadening access without an immediate industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its price target to $370, while Rosenblatt kept a Neutral rating and $303 target. The debate centers on Duo demand, supply constraints, valuation and the durability of the upgrade cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains the main risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Management has already guided to lower gross margins, raising concerns that pricing may not fully offset higher costs. Apple margin pressure from memory costs
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and competition limit upside. Apple trades near the upper end of its historical earnings multiple, while Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung remain strong competitors in China and the foldable market.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $456,000 of stock, reducing her direct holdings by about 4%, although she retains a substantial position.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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