Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Sells 154,783 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Clarkston Capital Partners cut its Apple position by 93.3%, selling 154,783 shares and retaining 11,033 shares valued at approximately $2.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Apple’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16.4% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $330.44, although some firms cited valuation, margin, policy and competitive pressures.

Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 93.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,033 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 154,783 shares during the quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $2,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. JMG Financial Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Apple by 0.7% during the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 2.0% in the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Investment Co boosted its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,902,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $313.33 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $309.45 and a 200 day moving average of $283.23. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $219.25 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook's Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple's Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple's Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on AAPL. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $360.00 price target (down from $370.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. DZ Bank cut Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.44.

Apple Company 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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