Morningstar Investment Management LLC Sells 4,300 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management reduced its Apple stake by 2.1%, selling 4,300 shares and retaining 202,910 shares valued at approximately $51.5 million. Apple remains its fourth-largest holding and represents about 3.2% of its portfolio.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Apple has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $330.44, despite ratings ranging from “Strong Buy” to “Sell.”
• Apple’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $2.02 and revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16.4% year over year. Shares opened at $313.33, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 202,910 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 3.2% of Morningstar Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $51,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised 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 in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $365.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, June 8th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating 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-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $313.33 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.57 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's fifty day moving average is $309.45 and its 200-day moving average is $283.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $219.25 and a 52 week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook's Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple's Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple's Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

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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