CWS Financial Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• CWS Financial Advisors increased its Apple stake by 5.5% in the second quarter, adding 3,308 shares to own 63,858 shares valued at $18.48 million. Apple represents approximately 4.1% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors remain heavily invested in Apple, collectively owning 67.73% of outstanding shares. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $330.61.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, including 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth and earnings above estimates, but investors face potential risks from foldable-iPhone supply constraints, higher memory costs and ongoing litigation.

CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,858 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 3,308 shares during the period. Apple accounts for approximately 4.1% of CWS Financial Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. CWS Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $18,478,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Apple by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $164,218,801,000 after acquiring an additional 6,555,392 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Apple by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $62,659,118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379,651 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $52,266,468,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research began coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Phillip Securities lowered Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 5,872 shares of company stock valued at $1,823,201 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s Sept. 9 product event is generating significant interest under new CEO John Ternus, with expectations for new iPhones, an Apple Watch update and potentially the company’s first foldable iPhone. Citi estimates the foldable device could sell 7.3 million units despite a possible price above $2,000. Citi foldable iPhone sales forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter showed strong momentum, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding analyst expectations. Morgan Stanley has also suggested the foldable iPhone could contribute roughly $14 billion in December-quarter revenue if successfully launched. Morgan Stanley foldable iPhone estimate
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has succeeded Tim Cook as CEO, while Cook remains executive chairman. The transition offers continuity through a longtime Apple executive but raises questions about whether Ternus can accelerate Apple’s artificial-intelligence strategy and sustain Cook-era growth. John Ternus becomes Apple CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate initial foldable iPhone production was only a few hundred units per day in late August. Tight quality controls and memory shortages could limit launch supply, delay purchases and prevent Apple from fully capturing expected demand. Foldable iPhone production hurdles
• Negative Sentiment: Memory costs have reportedly surged, potentially forcing Apple to raise iPhone prices, absorb lower margins or risk weaker demand. Jefferies has also downgraded AAPL amid skepticism about the foldable product’s market potential. iPhone memory cost concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a $2.7 billion UK lawsuit over alleged unfair app-tracking rules and a separate BASF patent lawsuit involving facial-authentication technology, adding regulatory and litigation risk. Apple UK app-tracking lawsuit

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $319.97 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $225.95 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The firm's 50-day moving average is $315.65 and its 200 day moving average is $290.59. The stock has a market cap of $4.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.69, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is 12.39%.

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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