Perpetual Ltd Purchases 24,919 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Perpetual Ltd increased its Apple stake by 30.4%, buying 24,919 shares to hold 106,994 shares worth about $29.09 million at quarter-end.
• Several large institutions also moved in, with new or expanded stakes from the likes of Norges Bank, Nuveen, Northern Trust and UBS AM — institutional ownership stands at about 67.7%, with aggregate holdings rising by tens of billions of dollars.
• Analyst sentiment and catalysts are broadly positive: Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $301.33 average price target, supported by reports of ~20% iPhone shipment growth in China and recent price‑target upgrades.

Perpetual Ltd grew its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 30.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,994 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after buying an additional 24,919 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd's holdings in Apple were worth $29,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Apple in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,942,255,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 1st quarter worth approximately $17,472,482,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Apple by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 171,385,531 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,918,365,000 after purchasing an additional 20,079,472 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 104,706,358 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $26,220,566,000 after purchasing an additional 13,137,968 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $301.33.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Counterpoint/Reuters data show iPhone shipments in China jumped ~20% in Q1 — far outpacing the market and supporting Apple’s revenue and share‑gain narrative in its largest smartphone market. Apple's iPhone shipments in China surge 20% in Q1, data shows
• Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas upgraded AAPL to Outperform and raised its price target (citing supply‑chain strength and a premium mix benefit as memory prices rise), which helped lift sentiment and buy‑side interest. Apple Upgraded To Outperform As BNP Sees Share Gains From Memory Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target and highlighted Apple’s M5/edge‑AI roadmap as a meaningful product/AI catalyst — reinforcing the case for multiple expansion if product momentum continues. Bank of America Increases Apple Price Target to $325
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy call‑option activity and structured trades around Apple’s April 30 earnings show traders positioning for a big move; options can amplify returns but also add short‑term volatility risk. Apple Stock Trade Risk Around Earnings Offers A 27% Reward
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves — a leadership transition in Wearables/Home and Project Glasswing (an AI security alliance) — underline long‑term product and services initiatives but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Apple’s Wearables Shakeup And AI Security Push Shape Long Term Story
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and component costs remain a two‑edged sword — while some analysts argue it improves Apple’s competitive positioning, higher input prices can compress margins if the premium mix or pricing power softens. Apple Upgrade Hinges on Cost Advantage Shift
• Negative Sentiment: TSMC’s strong AI‑driven results and supply comments briefly pressured AAPL aftermarket moves (market reads TSMC commentary as mixed signal for margins/supply dynamics). Also expect volatility into the April 30 earnings print. TSMC’s Results Weren’t a Great Sign for Apple

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $270.23 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $189.81 and a 12 month high of $288.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $259.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.17. The stock has a market cap of $3.97 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.11.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The iPhone maker reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.67 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $143.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $138.25 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.04% and a return on equity of 159.94%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.40 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 7.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Apple's payout ratio is 13.15%.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. The trade was a 17.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apple 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.