OneAscent Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• OneAscent Wealth Management purchased 7,805 Apple shares worth approximately $2.26 million, making Apple its 20th-largest holding and about 0.7% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of AAPL.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Apple carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.14; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, while shares traded near their 52-week high. The article also notes valuation concerns, increased competition, and legal risks surrounding Apple’s AI claims.

OneAscent Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,805 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $2,258,000. Apple accounts for about 0.7% of OneAscent Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 75,000,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $20,389,750,000 after buying an additional 2,725,121 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 73,082,616 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $18,547,637,000 after buying an additional 13,780,080 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 58,554,032 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $14,858,200,000 after acquiring an additional 979,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 55,146,752 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $14,992,196,000 after acquiring an additional 704,293 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Evercore set a $380.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, CICC Research boosted their price target on Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apple has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This trade represents a 3.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of AAPL opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.95 trillion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.42 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $320.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $295.43.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

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

About Apple

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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