Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 215,309 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $62,302,000. Apple accounts for 1.8% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest holding.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $88,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $109,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth $187,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Stories Impacting Apple
Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
- Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
- Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
- Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
- Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
AAPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. CICC Research increased their price objective on Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Apple
Apple Stock Performance
NASDAQ AAPL opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The company has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day moving average of $320.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $295.43.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.
Apple Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.
Apple Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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