Journey Advisory Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Journey Advisory Group LLC reduced its Apple stake by 1.7% in the first quarter, selling 2,582 shares and retaining 145,063 shares valued at $36.8 million. Apple remains 3.1% of the fund’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of the stock.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share on $109.42 billion in revenue, exceeding analyst estimates, with revenue up 16.4% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $327.40, but Apple faces concerns including cautious forward guidance, supply and memory-cost pressures, weaker China demand, and a premium valuation near 40 times earnings.

Journey Advisory Group LLC trimmed its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,063 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,582 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 3.1% of Journey Advisory Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Journey Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $36,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Apple by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 2.0% during the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Investment Co increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $333.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.90 trillion, a PE ratio of 40.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.50 and a 52-week high of $344.57. The business's fifty day moving average is $309.51 and its 200 day moving average is $281.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm's revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.40.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reported record June-quarter revenue of approximately $109.4 billion, up 16% year over year, while diluted EPS of $2.02 rose 29% and exceeded Wall Street expectations. Strong iPhone and Mac sales drove the results. Apple reports third quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: The company said its active installed base reached an all-time high, and iPhone, Mac and Services each posted June-quarter revenue records. Apple also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share. Apple Q3 revenue rises
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple indicated that a revamped Siri could eventually become a paid service for heavy users, offering a potential long-term monetization opportunity as the company expands its consumer-AI strategy. Tim Cook says Apple may charge for AI Siri
• Neutral Sentiment: Thursday marked Tim Cook’s final earnings call as CEO before he steps down in September, adding leadership-transition uncertainty despite incoming CEO John Ternus’s expected continuity.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter revenue outlook of $111.7 billion to $113.7 billion was below the roughly $114.3 billion consensus estimate. The cautious forecast is a key reason the stock has decreased despite the quarterly beat.
• Negative Sentiment: The generative-AI hardware boom is driving severe memory and component shortages. Apple is stockpiling inventory, but CEO Tim Cook warned that the impact of higher memory prices will worsen, pressuring product margins and potentially requiring further price increases. The quarter’s 50.1% gross margin benefited by about two percentage points from tariff refunds, a benefit that may not recur. Apple stockpiles inventory
• Negative Sentiment: Services revenue missed expectations, with Apple citing a slowdown in gaming and the effects of App Store changes. Weaker-than-expected China performance also raised concerns about regional demand and competition.
• Negative Sentiment: With Apple valued near $5 trillion and trading at roughly 40 times earnings, investors had set very high expectations. That premium leaves less room for disappointment in growth, margins or guidance. Apple forecasts slower growth

Apple Company 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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