KBC Group NV Raises Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its Apple stake by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 214,215 shares and bringing its total to 7,044,697 shares worth about $1.92 billion. Apple is now KBC’s fourth-largest holding and makes up 4.4% of its portfolio.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 beating expectations and revenue of $111.18 billion topping estimates. The company also posted 16.6% year-over-year revenue growth, highlighting continued operational strength.
• Sentiment around Apple remains generally bullish, with analysts lifting price targets as high as $400 and pointing to AI-related features and potential chip-making partnerships as future catalysts. At the same time, insiders sold shares during the quarter and Apple still faces legal and regulatory overhangs.

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,044,697 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 214,215 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 4.4% of KBC Group NV's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. KBC Group NV's holdings in Apple were worth $1,915,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 4th 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 period. American Alpha Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,934,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Avant Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Avant Capital LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 96,485 shares of company stock valued at $24,594,845 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush lifted Apple’s price target to $400 and said AI could drive a major growth wave for AAPL. Apple price target boosted by Wedbush on AI monetization expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple reached a preliminary chip-making deal with Intel boosted confidence in Apple’s manufacturing strategy and supply chain flexibility. Apple, Intel Have Reached Preliminary Chip-Making Agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see WWDC as a potential inflection point, with upcoming AI-related software features seen as a possible catalyst for Apple’s next leg higher. Apple’s biggest bull is now calling for a 37% stock jump
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains near its recent highs after strong quarterly results, keeping investor expectations elevated ahead of the next catalyst. Dow Jones Futures: Market At Highs With Iran, Trump-Xi Summit In Focus; Apple, Nvidia, Boeing In Buy Areas
• Negative Sentiment: Apple also faces ongoing legal and regulatory noise, including a Siri settlement and App Store antitrust disputes, which could weigh on sentiment if they escalate. Apple promised a smarter Siri, but a lawsuit says it didn’t deliver—and you can get up to $95 back

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Phillip Securities raised shares of Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $310.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $253.00 target price (up from $248.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, KGI Securities raised shares of Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.74.

Apple Stock Up 2.0%

Apple stock opened at $293.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.31 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.46 and a twelve month high of $294.76. The company's 50-day moving average price is $261.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.04.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. The firm 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 business's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. 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 currently 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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