Leading Edge Financial Planning LLC Acquires Shares of 3,646 Apple Inc. $AAPL

Leading Edge Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,646 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,055,000. Apple accounts for about 0.2% of Leading Edge Financial Planning LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday. Moffett Nathanson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $304.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 target price (down from $380.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $334.91.

Apple Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Apple stock opened at $332.27 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $229.02 and a one year high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $318.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $292.45.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone, scheduled to arrive October 23, could drive upgrades, deepen ecosystem engagement and add a high-margin premium product category. Some analysts believe foldables could eventually account for 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see renewed hardware momentum. Alongside the Duo, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 target, supporting the bullish reaction. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions could reduce sticker-price resistance. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering installment and trade-in incentives for the expensive Duo, potentially broadening access without an immediate industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its price target to $370, while Rosenblatt kept a Neutral rating and $303 target. The debate centers on Duo demand, supply constraints, valuation and the durability of the upgrade cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains the main risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Management has already guided to lower gross margins, raising concerns that pricing may not fully offset higher costs. Apple margin pressure from memory costs
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and competition limit upside. Apple trades near the upper end of its historical earnings multiple, while Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung remain strong competitors in China and the foldable market.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $456,000 of stock, reducing her direct holdings by about 4%, although she retains a substantial position.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,310 shares of company stock worth $2,279,378. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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