MRA Advisory Group Sells 2,729 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• MRA Advisory Group reduced its Apple stake by 15.4% in the second quarter, selling 2,729 shares and retaining 14,993 shares valued at approximately $4.34 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $330.53, though some firms recently downgraded the stock to neutral or moderate sell.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, with revenue up 16.4% year over year. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, while insiders sold 2,994 shares worth about $919,567 during the last quarter.

MRA Advisory Group lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,993 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 2,729 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 1.6% of MRA Advisory Group's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. MRA Advisory Group's holdings in Apple were worth $4,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $69,000. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Seaport Research Partners lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 38,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,890,023.32. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 2,994 shares of company stock valued at $919,567 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $309.35 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $224.69 and a 52-week high of $344.57. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $310.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.04. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.48, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Incoming CEO John Ternus is expected to reassess Apple’s research-and-development budget and potentially increase spending on AI. Analysts see stronger investment in Siri and other AI products as a way to close the gap with technology rivals. Apple Could Get a New R&D and AI Budget
• Positive Sentiment: Potential product catalysts include an AI-enhanced Siri expected later this year, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027 and a foldable iPhone that one analyst estimates could sell 14 million units by 2027. Successful launches could support a major upgrade cycle. Apple Wants to Pay Publishers to Improve Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s nationwide rollout of contactless payments will add Apple Pay acceptance across its U.S. stores, websites and apps. The move expands Apple Pay’s reach and strengthens Apple’s services ecosystem. Walmart Adds Apple Pay Nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity showed a modestly bullish bias, with calls outnumbering puts, while implied volatility remained below its 52-week median. However, the signal was not strong enough to establish a decisive near-term direction. Apple Options Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s leadership change on September 1 is creating both opportunity and uncertainty. Bank of America maintains a Buy view but says Ternus must deliver more surprising products and technologies because the company has become increasingly predictable. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise
• Negative Sentiment: Apple reportedly cut more than 200 positions tied to Siri and the Vision Pro headset while redirecting resources toward future devices. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but it also highlights execution challenges in AI and spatial computing.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have warned that Apple’s insulation from macroeconomic and competitive headwinds is fading. With shares trading at a high earnings multiple, investors may be less tolerant of slower growth, regulatory pressure and delays in AI products. Apple’s Immunity to Headwinds Is Fading
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Apple is quietly shifting attention toward China add geopolitical and demand risk, while its substantial tax settlement and filings highlighting large profits routed through Ireland could renew regulatory scrutiny.
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares under a prearranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction is relatively small and does not necessarily signal a change in fundamentals, but it provides a modest negative headline.

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.

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.

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