Next Capital Management LLC Sells 1,723 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Next Capital Management reduced its Apple stake by 6.1%, selling 1,723 shares during the first quarter and retaining 26,623 shares valued at approximately $6.76 million. Apple represents about 2.0% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with Apple carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $330.44, despite several recent downgrades to “Hold.”
• Apple exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $2.02 in EPS and $109.42 billion in revenue, while declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share. However, concerns over costs, supply constraints, delayed AI features and the stock’s elevated valuation remain key risks.

Next Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,623 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 1,723 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.0% of Next Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Next Capital Management LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $6,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orion Investment Co boosted its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. China Renaissance downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings raised Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Monday. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. KGI Securities downgraded Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, DZ Bank lowered Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple Trading Up 2.0%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $309.46 on Wednesday. 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 market cap of $4.52 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $202.16 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $309.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $282.24.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

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 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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