Keystone Wealth Services LLC Raises Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Keystone Wealth Services LLC increased its Apple stake by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,406 additional shares and bringing its total to 79,774 shares valued at about $21.7 million.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 topping estimates and revenue of $111.18 billion beating forecasts; revenue was up 16.6% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26, while Wall Street remains broadly positive with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $305.74.

Keystone Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,774 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 5,406 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 4.5% of Keystone Wealth Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Keystone Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $21,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Apple by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 104,706,358 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $26,220,566,000 after purchasing an additional 13,137,968 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the firm'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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $294.80 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day moving average is $263.24 and its 200-day moving average is $266.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $193.46 and a twelve month high of $295.27.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group set a $296.00 price objective on Apple and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Apple from $268.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. KGI Securities raised Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price (up from $350.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.74.

Trending Headlines about Apple

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

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report).

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.