HCR Wealth Advisors Lowers Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• HCR Wealth Advisors trimmed its Apple stake by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,548 shares and leaving it with 534,282 shares worth about $145.25 million. Apple remains the firm’s largest holding, representing roughly 14.4% of its portfolio.
• Several major institutional investors also adjusted their Apple positions, while overall institutional ownership remains high at 67.73% of the company’s stock. Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital, and Northern Trust all increased stakes during recent periods.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with $2.01 EPS versus the $1.95 estimate and revenue of $111.18 billion topping forecasts, and it also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share. Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a target price of $305.74.

HCR Wealth Advisors lessened its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 534,282 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,548 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 14.4% of HCR Wealth Advisors' holdings, making the stock its biggest position. HCR Wealth Advisors' holdings in Apple were worth $145,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,400,790,809 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $311,157,662,000 after purchasing an additional 5,005,297 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 601,249,995 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $123,358,461,000 after purchasing an additional 5,224,229 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 354,749,794 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $72,506,336,000 after purchasing an additional 4,942,638 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Apple in the second quarter worth about $38,942,255,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,918,365,000 after buying an additional 20,079,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $325.00 price objective on Apple in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $310.00 target price (up from $300.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $335.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.74.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $294.80 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.46 and a 12 month high of $295.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50 day moving average is $263.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Apple News

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

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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