Global Assets Advisory LLC Has $20.56 Million Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Global Assets Advisory LLC increased its Apple stake by 20.6% in the first quarter to 81,000 shares valued at approximately $20.56 million, making Apple its third-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Apple has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and a $327.40 average price target, although ratings range from “Strong Buy” to “Sell.” HSBC, Citigroup, and Tigress Financial recently raised their price targets.
• Apple shares opened at $333.02, near their 52-week high, while the company trades at a relatively elevated P/E ratio of 40.27. The latest quarter beat expectations with $2.01 EPS and $111.18 billion in revenue, and Apple raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.

Global Assets Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,000 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 13,861 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 4.9% of Global Assets Advisory LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Global Assets Advisory LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $20,557,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of a number of research reports. HSBC raised Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $327.40.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $333.02 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.50 and a 1 year high of $334.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $306.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $279.09. The company has a market cap of $4.89 trillion, a PE ratio of 40.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 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 $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 13.06%.

Apple Profile

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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