Flputnam Investment Management Co. Makes New Investment in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management acquired 1.05 million Apple shares worth approximately $302.5 million, making Apple its third-largest holding at 3.6% of the portfolio.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Apple receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $338.80; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02, exceeding estimates, while revenue increased 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,045,570 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $302,546,000. Apple accounts for approximately 3.6% of Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 260,792 shares during the last quarter. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $88,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $109,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $187,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on AAPL. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Arete Research increased their price target on shares of Apple from $305.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Argus upped their target price on Apple from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.80.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $333.08 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $235.03 and a 52-week high of $344.57. The firm has a market cap of $4.86 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.08. The business's fifty day moving average is $318.61 and its 200-day moving average is $293.06.

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. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish on the iPhone cycle. Bank of America reaffirmed its Buy rating and $370 price target, citing encouraging iPhone 18 trends and potential artificial-intelligence upside. JPMorgan also maintained a Buy rating, pointing to the longer-term opportunity from the iPhone 18 cycle and foldable Duo. Apple Buy Rating Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The iPhone Duo is fueling growth expectations. Analysts and industry observers believe Apple’s first foldable iPhone could expand the premium smartphone market, strengthen the product cycle and create a new source of revenue and earnings growth. Can New iPhone Duo Power Apple's Stock Higher?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s antitrust exposure has eased. Elon Musk’s X Corp. and SpaceXAI moved to resolve or dismiss their antitrust claims against Apple related to its ChatGPT integration, reducing one legal overhang, although related claims against OpenAI continue. Musk's X Corp and SpaceXAI Resolve Antitrust Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders are sending mixed signals. Delivery estimates are generally shorter than during last year’s iPhone 17 launch, which could indicate softer demand, but may also reflect supply improvements or customers waiting for the iPhone Duo. Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pre-orders Point to Mixed Demand Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple released iOS 27 with a redesigned Siri. The update expands Apple’s AI capabilities, but the initial waitlist and support for existing devices could limit near-term iPhone replacement demand. Apple Releases Redesigned Siri AI
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cost risks remain. With Apple trading near its 52-week high at a premium earnings multiple, investors may demand strong Duo adoption. Reports of sharply higher memory prices could pressure hardware margins or force price increases, while OpenAI’s acquisition of an AI-camera startup founded by former Apple employees highlights intensifying competition in AI-enabled devices. Apple CEO Warns of Memory Price Crisis

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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