Bellars Harris Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Bellars Harris Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 25,475 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $7,371,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 26,418 shares during the period. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Eaton Cambridge Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,178,000. Finally, Summit Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 108.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $332.27 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $318.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $292.63. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.02 and a twelve month high of $344.57.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price objective (down from $380.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. BTIG Research started coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Moffett Nathanson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $304.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $334.91.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was 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 approximately $10,897,484.96. This trade represents a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Apple

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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