Meeder Asset Management Inc. Buys 90,693 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management increased its Apple stake by 25.7% in the first quarter, purchasing 90,693 additional shares for a total of 443,723 shares valued at approximately $112.6 million. Apple now represents about 6.5% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital and Morgan Stanley among the largest holders. An Apple insider also sold a small number of shares to cover tax withholding obligations.
• Apple exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, but investors remain concerned about higher component costs, supply constraints, delayed AI features and the stock’s elevated valuation. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $330.44.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 25.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 443,723 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after acquiring an additional 90,693 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 6.5% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Apple were worth $112,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $164,218,801,000 after acquiring an additional 6,555,392 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $62,659,118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, 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 at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: India proposed extending tax exemptions for equipment suppliers to contract manufacturers through 2041. The policy could support Apple’s effort to expand iPhone production in India and reduce reliance on China. India proposes extending tax breaks for contract manufacturing in a boost for Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bullish investors argue that Apple’s capital-light AI strategy could eventually pay off through its enormous installed base, device upgrades and Services ecosystem, without the infrastructure spending burden faced by hyperscalers. Apple’s AI Strategy Looks Different—Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s acquisition of PlasmaSolve could improve manufacturing simulations, device coatings and production yields, potentially supporting thinner and stronger future hardware. AAPL Stock Alert: What to Know as Apple Acquires PlasmaSolve
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple asked a U.S. court to block OpenAI and two former employees from using alleged trade secrets. OpenAI has responded by calling the case careless and publishing private communications; the dispute could affect OpenAI’s hardware plans but remains legally unresolved. Apple seeks preliminary injunction against OpenAI in trade secrets case
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is also challenging a U.K. demand for access to encrypted user data. A favorable outcome could protect its privacy positioning, while prolonged regulatory litigation creates uncertainty. Apple launches fresh legal challenge against UK encrypted data access demand
• Negative Sentiment: The strongest pressure remains financial: Apple exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, but its outlook was viewed as disappointing. Higher memory and component costs, supply constraints, a Services revenue miss and delayed Apple Intelligence features have undermined confidence in near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: China Renaissance, DZ Bank and Phillip Securities downgraded AAPL, citing persistent memory inflation, supply risks and uncertainty over Apple Intelligence returns. With the stock trading around 35 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.6, investors are demanding substantial growth to justify the valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: The CEO transition adds execution risk. While some coverage views Cook’s departure as a well-prepared succession, investors will watch whether John Ternus can accelerate AI development and sustain Apple’s growth momentum.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $309.46 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $309.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $282.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $202.16 and a one year high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 (DPR) is 12.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $365.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price target on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Apple from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.44.

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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