Facet Wealth Inc. Boosts Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Facet Wealth Inc. increased its Apple stake by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 20,374 more shares and lifting its holdings to 154,452 shares worth about $39.6 million.
• Apple’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $2.01 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion, up 16.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on AAPL, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $308.74, while Apple also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.

Facet Wealth Inc. grew its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 154,452 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 20,374 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 0.7% of Facet Wealth Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Facet Wealth Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $39,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 110.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. PayPay Securities Corp boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 365 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth about $112,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AAPL. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on shares of Apple from $268.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $335.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $308.74.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $308.82 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.46 and a 52-week high of $311.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $270.70 and a 200-day moving average of $268.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.06. 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 (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly cutting prices in China ahead of the June 18 “618” shopping holiday, a move that could boost unit sales and help defend market share in a key region, according to Wedbush. Dear Apple Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 18
• Positive Sentiment: Apple was highlighted as a top-ranked momentum stock by Zacks, reinforcing the idea that the shares continue to attract technical and style-based buying interest. Apple (AAPL) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Memorial Day tech promotions featuring Apple products may support short-term demand and keep the brand top of mind with consumers during a heavy shopping period. Memorial Day tech sales are live: Save up to 50% off on some of our favorite gadgets at Amazon, Apple, Best Buy and more
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces framed Apple as a core mega-cap stock, but they did not introduce new fundamentals that would materially change the near-term outlook. Instead of Chasing Alpha, Here Are 4 Ways to Pick the Low-Hanging Apples
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles discussed Apple in broader tech or portfolio contexts, including comparisons with Microsoft and ETF exposure, which are more informational than stock-moving on their own. Apple vs. Microsoft: What Their Revenue Trends Reveal for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei’s new smartphone chip plans add another competitive overhang for Apple, raising concerns about iPhone demand in China and the broader premium-phone market. Huawei unveils new smartphone chips this fall as rivalry with Nvidia and Apple heats up
• Negative Sentiment: A Bloomberg report said Apple’s Watch and health strategy needs a reboot to stay competitive, suggesting wearables remain an area where rivals could gain ground. Apple’s Watch and Health Efforts Need Reboot to Rival New Wearables
• Negative Sentiment: Some opinion pieces argued Apple may eventually lose momentum versus other mega-cap winners, which could weigh on sentiment even though these were long-term speculative takes rather than immediate catalysts. 3 Reasons Apple Will Be Booted From The Magnificent 7 By The End Of 2030

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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