Forbes J M & Co. LLP Raises Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Forbes J M & Co. LLP increased its Apple stake by 0.9% in the first quarter, buying 2,225 more shares and bringing its total to 248,512 shares worth about $63.1 million. Apple is now the fund’s fourth-largest holding, representing 5.3% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.01 versus estimates of $1.95 and revenue of $111.18 billion, up 16.6% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26.
• Despite solid fundamentals, Apple faced mixed market signals: some analysts maintained bullish ratings, but concerns remain around price hikes, AI execution, and broader tech-sector weakness. The stock was trading near $275, with a consensus analyst target price of $314.85.

Forbes J M & Co. LLP boosted its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 248,512 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 2,225 shares during the period. Apple comprises 5.3% of Forbes J M & Co. LLP's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Forbes J M & Co. LLP's holdings in Apple were worth $63,070,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 97,875 shares of company stock worth $24,998,541. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts say the price hikes could help Apple protect margins by passing through rising component costs, and long-term bulls still view the company as financially strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s AI strategy remains a work in progress, with some coverage saying the company’s AI upgrade likely will not be a major near-term catalyst for the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s decision to raise Mac and iPad prices has sparked concern about weaker demand and “demand friction,” especially if consumers push back on higher-priced devices. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness and a tech selloff added pressure, with Apple leading the downside among major technology names. Article Title

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $275.15 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 33.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.26 and a 12-month high of $317.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $292.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.12.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $314.85.

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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