Ninety One SA Pty Ltd Buys 54,210 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Ninety One SA Pty Ltd boosted its Apple stake by 138.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 54,210 additional shares to bring its holdings to 93,246 shares worth about $25.35 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on Apple remains constructive, with analysts assigning a Moderate Buy rating on average and a consensus price target of $305.74; several firms recently raised targets or reiterated bullish ratings.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results with earnings per share of $2.01 and revenue of $111.18 billion, while also increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.

Ninety One SA Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 138.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,246 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 54,210 shares during the period. Apple comprises 1.1% of Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's holdings in Apple were worth $25,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,520,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. WESPAC Advisors LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. American Alpha Advisors LLC increased its stake in Apple by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,934,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Avant Capital LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Avant Capital LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,226,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Moffett Nathanson increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Maxim Group raised shares of Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (up from $350.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $305.74.

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $294.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $263.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $266.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.46 and a 1-year high of $295.27.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's payout ratio is 13.06%.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s upcoming WWDC is seen as a major catalyst that could reset investor expectations around its AI roadmap and support another leg higher if management delivers a stronger vision for Siri, iOS, and future devices. The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also being viewed more favorably after reports highlighted strong supply-chain execution, continued AI-services potential, and a growing case for the stock as a momentum name. Apple (AAPL) Gains Wall Street Confidence on Supply Chain Strength and AI Services Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Google are rolling out end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android users, which should improve the messaging experience and support the ecosystem value proposition. Apple And Google Finally Close SMS Security Gap...
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Apple is planning customizable camera controls and Siri design changes in iOS 27, which could help future product appeal but are still early-stage software rumors. Apple Plans Customizable Camera for Pros, Siri Design Changes in iOS 27
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s director and an insider both sold shares recently, which can create some caution, but the sales appear modest relative to Apple’s overall size and recent record earnings. Apple Board Veteran Sells $71 Million in Stock After Record Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A new federal appeals-court decision temporarily keeping Trump’s 10% global tariffs in place could preserve cost pressure on imported consumer electronics, including Apple products. Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Apple’s insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares, a small signal that may slightly dampen sentiment, though it is not large enough on its own to change the broader bullish narrative. SEC insider filing

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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