Sei Investments Co. Boosts Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 19.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,250,613 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 1,818,383 shares during the period. Apple makes up approximately 2.6% of Sei Investments Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.08% of Apple worth $2,855,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth $76,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook's Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple's Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple's Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on AAPL shares. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Apple from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, KGI Securities lowered Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.44.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $313.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.57 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.93, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $219.25 and a 1-year high of $344.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $309.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $283.23.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

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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