OneAscent Financial Services LLC Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• OneAscent Financial Services acquired 86,792 Apple shares worth approximately $25.1 million in the second quarter, making Apple 1.2% of its portfolio and its 13th-largest holding.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with major firms including Vanguard, Nuveen, Amundi, Dimensional Fund Advisors and Fisher Asset Management increasing their stakes.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $340.14 price target, though valuation, competition, foldable-device execution and legal risks remain concerns.

OneAscent Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 86,792 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $25,114,000. Apple makes up about 1.2% of OneAscent Financial Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC boosted its position in Apple by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $20,389,750,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725,121 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in Apple by 23.2% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after purchasing an additional 13,780,080 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Apple by 1.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 58,554,032 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $14,858,200,000 after purchasing an additional 979,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Apple by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 55,146,752 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $14,992,196,000 after purchasing an additional 704,293 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,632 shares of company stock valued at $2,719,955. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $320.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $295.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. Apple's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Seaport Research Partners lowered shares of Apple from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, HSBC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $366.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.14.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple's services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company's ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.

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