Seros Financial LLC Buys New Shares in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Seros Financial LLC purchased 4,541 Apple shares worth approximately $1.31 million during the second quarter, making Apple its 17th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s outstanding shares.
• Apple recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share on $109.42 billion in revenue, beating analyst expectations, while revenue grew 16.4% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, equal to a 0.3% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.14, though ratings range from bullish targets as high as $380 to bearish concerns about Apple’s valuation and AI execution.

Seros Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,541 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,314,000. Apple accounts for about 0.7% of Seros Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Basso Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $88,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $187,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $335.92 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.52, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $321.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.07. Apple Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.42 and a 52-week high of $345.34.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The company 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%.Apple's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 currently 12.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AAPL. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $303.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Evercore set a $380.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.06, for a total transaction of $815,803.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 44,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,095,603.46. This trade represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 11,031 shares of company stock worth $3,535,759 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 demand supports near-term revenue. Long customer lines in India and sustained interest in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max suggest Apple’s premium pricing has not materially weakened demand in a key growth market. However, regional trends are mixed, with China remaining a concern. Inside India newsletter: Apple set to take a bigger bite of the world's second-largest smartphone market
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and possible AI expansion provide growth catalysts. Apple’s iPhone Duo foldable, M6 Mac mini and M5 Ultra Mac Studio are being positioned as evidence that the company can still generate product excitement. Reports that Apple may develop its own AI server chips could also improve control over infrastructure costs and AI performance. Could John Ternus’ Product Strategy Reshape Apple’s Next Growth Phase?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable. JPMorgan reaffirmed a “buy” rating, while Bank of America maintained its “buy” rating and set a $370 target, implying further upside from recent levels. Apple analyst ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple renewed Qualcomm’s global patent license agreement. The deal, effective April 1, 2027, removes a potential licensing uncertainty but also highlights Apple’s continuing relationship with Qualcomm for modem-related technology. Qualcomm, Apple extend licensing agreement for chips
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and AI execution are major investor concerns. Commentators argue that AAPL’s large gains and roughly $4.9 trillion market capitalization leave limited room for disappointment, particularly if Apple’s AI products fail to match Meta’s rapidly advancing AI agents and wearables. Apple stock could be 32% overpriced after fresh AI cost warnings
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term execution issues add pressure. Reports of an iPhone 18 Pro reboot problem requiring a software update, Fitness+ layoffs and an executive’s stock sale may reinforce concerns about product quality, cost control and insider confidence. Apple says software update to fix iPhone 18 Pro rebooting bug is coming next week

Apple Company 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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