GF Fund Management CO. LTD. Sells 30,912 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• GF Fund Management trimmed its Apple stake by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 30,912 shares and still holding 1,490,633 shares worth about $405.2 million. Apple remains its second-largest position and about 6.9% of its portfolio.
• Apple executives continued selling shares: CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares and CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares. Insiders sold 97,759 shares in the last quarter, though company insiders still own only 0.06% of the stock.
• Analysts and fundamentals remain broadly positive, with Apple reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly results, raising its dividend, and carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.” The stock also sits near its 52-week high, reflecting continued investor optimism.

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. cut its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,490,633 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 30,912 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 6.9% of GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings in Apple were worth $405,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its position in Apple by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares during the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Apple by 110.9% in 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 grew its position in Apple by 1,800.0% in 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 Apple in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Apple by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 40,543 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This trade represents a 1.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $335.00 price target (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KGI Securities upgraded shares of Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.74.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s upcoming WWDC is seen as a major catalyst that could reset investor expectations around its AI roadmap and support another leg higher if management delivers a stronger vision for Siri, iOS, and future devices. The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also being viewed more favorably after reports highlighted strong supply-chain execution, continued AI-services potential, and a growing case for the stock as a momentum name. Apple (AAPL) Gains Wall Street Confidence on Supply Chain Strength and AI Services Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Google are rolling out end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android users, which should improve the messaging experience and support the ecosystem value proposition. Apple And Google Finally Close SMS Security Gap...
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Apple is planning customizable camera controls and Siri design changes in iOS 27, which could help future product appeal but are still early-stage software rumors. Apple Plans Customizable Camera for Pros, Siri Design Changes in iOS 27
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s director and an insider both sold shares recently, which can create some caution, but the sales appear modest relative to Apple’s overall size and recent record earnings. Apple Board Veteran Sells $71 Million in Stock After Record Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A new federal appeals-court decision temporarily keeping Trump’s 10% global tariffs in place could preserve cost pressure on imported consumer electronics, including Apple products. Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares, a small signal that may slightly dampen sentiment, though it is not large enough on its own to change the broader bullish narrative. SEC insider filing

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $294.80 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $263.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.73. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.46 and a twelve month high of $295.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's payout ratio is 13.06%.

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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