SCS Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 190,488 Apple Inc. $AAPL

SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 190,488 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $55,119,000. Apple accounts for about 0.5% of SCS Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first 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. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL opened at $332.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.08. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $229.02 and a one year high of $344.57. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $318.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.63.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. KGI Securities lowered shares of Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $334.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,438 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.23, for a total transaction of $456,176.74. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 34,352 shares in the company, valued at $10,897,484.96. This trade represents a 4.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,310 shares of company stock valued at $2,279,378. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: iPhone Duo creates a potential new growth cycle. Apple’s $1,999 foldable iPhone, scheduled to arrive October 23, could drive upgrades, deepen ecosystem engagement and add a high-margin premium product category. Some analysts believe foldables could eventually account for 10% to 20% of iPhone revenue. How Wall Street viewed Apple's foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see renewed hardware momentum. Alongside the Duo, Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, new Apple Watch models, AirPods 5 and expanded Siri AI features. TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating with a $400 target, supporting the bullish reaction. TD Cowen reiterates Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Carrier promotions could reduce sticker-price resistance. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are offering installment and trade-in incentives for the expensive Duo, potentially broadening access without an immediate industrywide price war. Wireless carrier promotions
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided. Bank of America retained a Buy rating but lowered its price target to $370, while Rosenblatt kept a Neutral rating and $303 target. The debate centers on Duo demand, supply constraints, valuation and the durability of the upgrade cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains the main risk. Apple raised iPhone Pro prices by $100, but memory and other component costs are rising rapidly. Management has already guided to lower gross margins, raising concerns that pricing may not fully offset higher costs. Apple margin pressure from memory costs
• Negative Sentiment: Premium valuation and competition limit upside. Apple trades near the upper end of its historical earnings multiple, while Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung remain strong competitors in China and the foldable market.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a modest cautionary signal. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold approximately $456,000 of stock, reducing her direct holdings by about 4%, although she retains a substantial position.

Apple Profile

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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