Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 23,521 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its Apple stake by 4.2%, buying 23,521 shares to hold 583,607 shares worth $158.66 million, making Apple about 2.9% of its portfolio and its sixth-largest position.
• Insider selling occurred on April 2 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans: SVP Deirdre O'Brien sold 30,002 shares and CEO Tim Cook sold 64,949 shares, with insiders disposing of 96,485 shares (~$24.6 million) in the past 90 days.
• Apple beat Q2 estimates (EPS $2.01 vs. $1.95; revenue $111.18B, +16.6% YoY), announced a $100 billion buyback and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.27, and holds a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $304.31 target.

Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 583,607 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 23,521 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 2.9% of Ritholtz Wealth Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Apple were worth $158,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First National Bank of Hutchinson boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $8,845,000 after buying an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $13,544,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $134,554,000 after buying an additional 69,207 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Apple by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $12,587,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,934,433.50. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. The trade was a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 96,485 shares of company stock worth $24,594,845. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AAPL. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $335.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday. KGI Securities upgraded Apple to an "outperform" rating and set a $306.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Phillip Securities upgraded Apple from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $304.31.

Apple Stock Up 3.3%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $280.19 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $193.25 and a fifty-two week high of $288.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.11 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.42, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $260.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $265.02.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 161.46% and a net margin of 27.15%.The company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. Apple's revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.15%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat and June-quarter guidance well above Street expectations, giving investors confidence in near-term sales momentum and margins. Apple stages sharpest rally in 9 months as execs cite iPhone, Mac demand in boosting guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management expanded capital returns — a large share buyback ($100B) plus a dividend raise — which supports EPS and buyback-driven upside. Apple (AAPL) Stock: Q2 Earnings Beat ... and $100B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected demand in Greater China and for the iPhone 17 and Mac lineup (including Mac Mini demand for AI work) is driving top-line upside and a re-rating by some analysts. Apple's China sales jumped 28%: now analysts are rethinking AAPL
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised price targets and options activity surged, signaling bullish positioning and expectations for further upside. Analyst moves & options flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple signaled it is retiring its net-cash-neutral target — investors interpret this as freeing cash for a potential large AI acquisition, but timing and impact remain speculative. Apple just gave a subtle clue that a splashy AI acquisition may be in the cards
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/services expansion — Apple aims to grow its sports/TV footprint (Formula One content and TV deals), which supports longer-term services revenue diversification but is incremental near term. Apple's Cue expects F1 movie sequel...
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that the global memory-chip shortage is worsening — that creates a real near-term cost/margin headwind and could force pricing or longer-term supplier commitments. Apple Warns the Memory Shortage Is Getting Worse
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious — Wall Street is split on whether the beat is sustainable versus one-time effects (tariff refunds, inventory/timing), leaving valuation and durability questions. Wall Street Splits on Apple After Q2 Beat

Apple Company 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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