Nuveen LLC Acquires 2,725,121 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC increased its Apple stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 2.73 million shares to bring its total holdings to 75.0 million shares. Apple now represents about 5.3% of Nuveen’s portfolio and is its third-largest position.
• Several institutional investors also boosted or maintained sizable positions in Apple, and institutions as a group own 67.73% of the stock. That signals continued strong demand from large investors despite mixed short-term sentiment.
• Apple’s recent backdrop remains supportive: it beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised its dividend to $0.27 per share, and analysts maintain a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a $314.59 price target. Still, insider sales and some cautious commentary suggest not all investors are fully convinced about near-term upside.

Nuveen LLC grew its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 2,725,121 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 5.3% of Nuveen LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Nuveen LLC owned 0.51% of Apple worth $20,389,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its stake in Apple by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $16,742,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE raised its position in shares of Apple by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $12,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the business'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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305 over the last three months. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AAPL shares. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Tigress Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "neutral" rating and set a $276.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.59.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple unveiled a much more capable Siri AI and broader iOS/macOS upgrades, reinforcing the company’s AI strategy and supporting a longer-term growth narrative. Siri upgrades show promise, but questions remain
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts lifted earnings expectations or reiterated confidence after WWDC, suggesting Apple’s fundamentals and services/iPhone ecosystem still support the stock. Analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Apple’s strong cash flow, low debt, and momentum, with some commentary pointing to potential upside if the next iPhone cycle and services growth accelerate. Does Apple Stock Have More Upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also cited as a “top stock” in Ken Griffin’s portfolio, which is supportive for sentiment but not a direct new catalyst. Apple Inc. (AAPL) Is A Top Stock In Ken Griffin’s Portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the AI reveal, multiple reports said investors were underwhelmed because much of the rollout looks incremental and some Siri features may not feel fully differentiated yet. Apple Unveils Siri AI. Here's Why It's Not Impressing Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and options commentary pointed to caution, suggesting some traders still see limited near-term upside after the post-WWDC pullback. Option Activity Suggests Caution On Apple's Intermediate-Term Outlook

Apple Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $295.63 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.14. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.07 and a 12 month high of $317.40.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Apple's payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

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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