Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Purchases 396,888 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Harel Insurance increased its Apple position by 17.1% in the second quarter, purchasing 396,888 shares to hold 2.72 million shares valued at approximately $786.4 million. Apple represents about 3.8% of Harel’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own approximately 67.7% of Apple’s outstanding stock, with Vanguard holding roughly 1.43 billion shares and other major funds significantly expanding their positions.
• Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, beating estimates and marking 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $330.61, although some remain cautious about valuation and upcoming product catalysts.

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 17.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,717,869 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 396,888 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.8% of Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.'s holdings in Apple were worth $786,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 1st quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its stake in Apple by 890.7% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $11,413,990,000 after acquiring an additional 37,746,784 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 20,464.8% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, June 5th. BTIG Research began coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.61.

Apple Trading Up 1.0%

AAPL opened at $328.21 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $225.95 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The company's 50-day moving average is $314.94 and its 200 day moving average is $290.13.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (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 business earned $1.57 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event, the first major launch under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus described the event as “phenomenal,” raising expectations for new premium iPhones and the company’s first foldable iPhone. Apple’s New CEO Teases “Phenomenal” iPhone Launch
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone could provide a significant new growth catalyst. Morgan Stanley estimates the device could contribute approximately $14 billion to the December quarter, while other projections suggest strong market share and premium pricing potential if demand materializes. Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Contribute $14 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $360 price target, supporting the view that Apple’s product pipeline and earnings growth can justify its premium valuation. Apple’s services business also continues to benefit from price increases to Apple TV and Apple One. Apple TV Price Hike
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has formally succeeded Tim Cook, while Cook remains executive chairman. The structure provides continuity and preserves Cook’s government and China relationships, but Ternus must prove that a product-focused strategy can improve Apple’s position in AI. Apple Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform, reportedly citing the cancellation of an all-glass MacBook or foldable MacBook project and skepticism that the foldable iPhone will be more than a niche product. Jefferies Downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) UK lawsuit alleging that its App Tracking Transparency rules unfairly restrict third-party developers while favoring Apple’s own advertising services. BASF has also filed a separate patent lawsuit over face-authentication technology. BASF Patent Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could lift iPhone production expenses sharply, forcing Apple to raise prices, accept lower margins or risk weaker demand. Analysts remain divided, with DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating and a $270 price target. Apple Product and Leadership Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: An Apple senior vice president sold 1,439 shares worth about $456,000. The sale was relatively small, leaving the executive with nearly 35,800 shares, but it may add modestly to near-term investor caution. Apple Insider Trading Filing

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. 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 90 days, insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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