Cornerstone Advisors LLC Invests $208.84 Million in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired 721,725 Apple shares worth approximately $208.84 million in the second quarter, making Apple its second-largest holding and representing 6.9% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding the $1.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $338.80, although some firms maintain neutral or underweight ratings.

Cornerstone Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 721,725 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $208,838,000. Apple accounts for about 6.9% of Cornerstone Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Apple in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 822.7% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 292,493 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 260,792 shares during the period. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $88,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $332.41 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $236.65 and a 52 week high of $344.57. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $319.40 and a 200-day moving average of $293.88.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AAPL. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $329.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, September 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $338.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.23, for a total value of $456,176.74. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 34,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,897,484.96. The trade was a 4.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,194 shares of company stock valued at $2,245,142. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Apple is developing enterprise AI servers using its upcoming M8 Ultra chips and is discussing NVIDIA’s NVLink networking technology. The project, potentially launching around 2029, could create a new hardware market, reduce reliance on third-party cloud providers, and help protect Services margins as AI usage grows. Apple Talks to Nvidia About NVLink for Its Own AI Server
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone Duo and higher-priced Pro models remain major catalysts for revenue and upgrade activity. TD Cowen reportedly set a $400 price target, while Citi survey data points to shorter smartphone replacement cycles and possible Apple market-share gains. Apple Stock Surges After Its Biggest Product Launch in Years
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: JPMorgan reiterated its Buy rating, and Morgan Stanley is reportedly bullish on Apple’s new offerings. Apple’s Emmy success and continued ecosystem expansion also reinforce the long-term Services and brand story. Apple's Buy Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan
• Neutral Sentiment: The redesigned Siri and iOS 27 introduce broader AI capabilities, but the rollout is initially limited by beta labeling, language and regional restrictions, waitlists, and reports of slow response times. This makes the AI opportunity meaningful but its near-term financial impact uncertain. Apple Falls as Siri AI Arrives Behind a Beta Label
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts describe early iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max preorders as lukewarm, potentially indicating that customers are delaying purchases for the foldable Duo. Weak Pro demand could pressure the current iPhone cycle if Duo demand does not offset it. iPhone 18 Pro Demand Is Already a Problem for Apple Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also monitoring slipping margins and an Indian consumer-regulator investigation into Apple’s software warranty and repair practices. Regulatory costs or changes to repair policies could weigh on cash flow and profitability. Indian Consumer Regulator Escalates Probe Into Apple’s Software Warranty Terms

Apple Profile

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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