Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 15,026 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Retirement Systems of Alabama cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,179,441 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 15,026 shares during the period. Apple makes up about 4.5% of Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings in Apple were worth $1,498,723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on Apple from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $285.56 to $263.66 in a report on Monday, August 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.61.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism is building ahead of Apple’s September 9 product event, the first major launch under new CEO John Ternus. Ternus described the event as “phenomenal,” raising expectations for new premium iPhones and the company’s first foldable iPhone. Apple’s New CEO Teases “Phenomenal” iPhone Launch
• Positive Sentiment: The foldable iPhone could provide a significant new growth catalyst. Morgan Stanley estimates the device could contribute approximately $14 billion to the December quarter, while other projections suggest strong market share and premium pricing potential if demand materializes. Apple’s Foldable iPhone May Contribute $14 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $360 price target, supporting the view that Apple’s product pipeline and earnings growth can justify its premium valuation. Apple’s services business also continues to benefit from price increases to Apple TV and Apple One. Apple TV Price Hike
• Neutral Sentiment: John Ternus has formally succeeded Tim Cook, while Cook remains executive chairman. The structure provides continuity and preserves Cook’s government and China relationships, but Ternus must prove that a product-focused strategy can improve Apple’s position in AI. Apple Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform, reportedly citing the cancellation of an all-glass MacBook or foldable MacBook project and skepticism that the foldable iPhone will be more than a niche product. Jefferies Downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) UK lawsuit alleging that its App Tracking Transparency rules unfairly restrict third-party developers while favoring Apple’s own advertising services. BASF has also filed a separate patent lawsuit over face-authentication technology. BASF Patent Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could lift iPhone production expenses sharply, forcing Apple to raise prices, accept lower margins or risk weaker demand. Analysts remain divided, with DA Davidson maintaining a Neutral rating and a $270 price target. Apple Product and Leadership Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: An Apple senior vice president sold 1,439 shares worth about $456,000. The sale was relatively small, leaving the executive with nearly 35,800 shares, but it may add modestly to near-term investor caution. Apple Insider Trading Filing

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $328.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.79 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.64, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $314.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.13. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.95 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during 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%. The company's revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 5,872 shares of company stock valued at $1,823,201. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.

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