Osprey Private Wealth LLC Boosts Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Osprey Private Wealth LLC increased its Apple stake by 19.3% in the first quarter, buying 5,515 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 34,148 shares worth about $8.67 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with Apple carrying a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $327.40. Several analysts recently raised targets or reiterated bullish ratings, including HSBC’s upgrade to Buy.
• Apple continues to post strong fundamentals, reporting quarterly EPS of $2.01 and revenue of $111.18 billion, both above estimates. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share and its stock recently traded near its 12-month high.

Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 19.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,148 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 5,515 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 2.5% of Osprey Private Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Osprey Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $8,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $69,000. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. HSBC raised Apple from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Maxim Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.40.

Apple Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $333.02 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $306.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $279.01. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $201.50 and a 12-month high of $334.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.89 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.27, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.10.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company's revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple's payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

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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