Stark Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Stark Wealth Management opened a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter, buying 3,943 shares worth about $1.07 million. Apple now represents 3.8% of the firm’s holdings and is its 7th-largest position.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 topping estimates and revenue of $111.18 billion beating expectations. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts currently expect $8.75 EPS for the full year.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Apple, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating standing at Moderate Buy. The average price target is $314.59, while Apple also recently lifted its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share.

Stark Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 3,943 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,072,000. Apple makes up 3.8% of Stark Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Apple by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Apple by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $164,218,801,000 after acquiring an additional 6,555,392 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Apple by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $97,031,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,866,103 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Apple by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $62,659,118,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379,651 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $299.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $195.07 and a twelve month high of $317.40. The stock has a market cap of $4.40 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.09. The company's fifty day moving average is $287.32 and its 200 day moving average is $272.54.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Apple's payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price (up from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $325.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.59.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is warming to Apple’s AI strategy after WWDC, with analysts saying Siri AI and related upgrades could help drive new Services revenue and support a longer-term stock rebound. Apple’s AI Plans Are Finally Taking Shape. Here’s What That Means for AAPL Stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is planning a broader 2027 product push — including camera-equipped AirPods, a foldable iPhone, and AI-enabled accessories — reinforce the idea that the company has multiple growth catalysts ahead. Apple (AAPL) Faces Italy DMA Probe Over Cloud Interoperability
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports note that Apple shares have been recovering after the initial WWDC reaction, suggesting the market may be concluding the AI rollout is more promising than first feared. Apple Stock Is Down After WWDC. There's More to Its AI Strategy Than Meets the Eye.
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s supplier Tata Electronics said India’s pollution board dropped scrutiny of its iPhone parts plant after contamination concerns were addressed, removing a potential supply-chain distraction. Tata says India pollution board drops scrutiny of Apple iPhone parts plant
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is reportedly considering changes to its Hide My Email feature, which could make it less effective but may also help apps and websites limit abuse from anonymous sign-ups. Apple plans to change its Hide My Email privacy feature that could make it less effective
• Negative Sentiment: Italy’s competition authority opened a Digital Markets Act probe into Apple’s cloud interoperability practices, raising fresh regulatory risk in Europe and potential pressure on Apple’s ecosystem controls. Italian Competition Watchdog Launches Investigation Into Apple’s Cloud Service Practices (AAPL)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory-chip costs could squeeze margins as Apple’s AI features require more powerful hardware, adding a near-term profitability concern. Rising Memory Costs Test Apple Margins As AI Demands More Hardware

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total transaction of $7,661,010.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at $34,934,433.50. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock worth $24,964,305. Company 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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