Carter Financial LLC Makes New $1.58 Million Investment in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Carter Financial LLC initiated a new position in Apple, buying 5,801 shares valued at about $1.58 million in the fourth quarter. Apple now makes up 1.4% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 8th largest holding.
• Apple continues to attract broad institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors holding 67.73% of the stock. Several smaller firms also added or started positions during the period.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Apple, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $314.85. Recent commentary also highlights potential tailwinds from Apple’s AI strategy and its reported Intel chip partnership, though legal and cost-related risks remain.

Carter Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 5,801 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,577,000. Apple accounts for 1.4% of Carter Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position.

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

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is becoming more optimistic about Apple’s new Siri and AI strategy after the post-WWDC selloff, suggesting investors may be overreacting to near-term skepticism. After an Initial Panic, Wall Street's Leaning Into Apple's New Siri AI
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple has agreed to partner with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the U.S. are being viewed as a supply-chain diversification win and a long-term catalyst for Apple’s hardware roadmap. Apple’s Intel Deal Arrives at the Right Time for Its Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Tim Cook’s comments about higher memory costs and upcoming price increases are being interpreted by some analysts as supportive of Apple’s earnings power, since price hikes could help offset component inflation. Apple: Empirical Evidence Suggests Upcoming Price Hikes Will Boost Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s TV and streaming strategy is drawing attention, but the discussion appears more explanatory than immediately material to the stock. Apple Explains TV Library Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison of NVIDIA and Apple highlights Apple’s lower valuation and services strength, reinforcing the stock’s defensive appeal without changing the near-term setup. NVIDIA vs. Apple: Which Tech Titan Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Britain’s competition tribunal approved a £3 billion class action over iCloud fees, adding a meaningful legal overhang and potential financial liability for Apple. UK tribunal gives go ahead for $4 billion lawsuit against Apple over iCloud services
• Negative Sentiment: Apple also faces reputational risk after closing its first unionized U.S. store, with the union accusing the company of retaliation. Apple Just Closed Its First Unionized U.S. Store
• Negative Sentiment: Several reports say Apple is forcing price increases on hardware because memory and chip costs are rising, which could pressure demand if consumers push back. Memory's price surge threatens Apple's 'magic formula' — and the economy

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $325.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $314.85.

Apple Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $294.98 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average is $291.15 and its 200-day moving average is $273.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.26 and a 12 month high of $317.40. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 97,875 shares of company stock valued at $24,998,541 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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