Candriam S.C.A. Purchases 149,720 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its Apple stake by 4.5% in the first quarter, buying 149,720 additional shares. The fund now owns 3,503,348 shares worth about $889.1 million, making Apple its third-largest holding.
• Apple continues to attract strong Wall Street support, with analysts citing multiple Buy and Outperform ratings. The consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $327.40.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $2.01 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion. Apple also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share, up from $0.26.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,503,348 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 149,720 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 4.6% of Candriam S.C.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Apple were worth $889,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, June 8th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.40.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $333.02 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $306.62 and its 200 day moving average is $279.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.89 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.27, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $201.50 and a 12 month high of $334.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 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 was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apple Profile

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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