Virtus Advisers LLC Takes $3.41 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Virtus Advisers LLC bought 11,783 Apple shares worth approximately $3.41 million during the second quarter, making Apple its sixth-largest holding and representing 1.3% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $340.14, despite some recent downgrades to “Hold.”
• Apple reported quarterly earnings of $2.02 per share and revenue of $109.42 billion, both exceeding expectations; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.

Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 11,783 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $3,410,000. Apple makes up 1.3% of Virtus Advisers LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sterling Wealth Management Inc. now owns 11,579 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $3,351,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC increased its position in Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the second quarter. Advocate Investing Services LLC now owns 7,847 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $2,271,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in Apple by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several research reports. DZ Bank downgraded Apple from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Loop Capital set a $380.00 price target on Apple in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citic Securities raised their price target on Apple from $300.00 to $349.00 in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. The trade was a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,632 shares of company stock worth $2,719,955. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Apple Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $338.98 on Tuesday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.42 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.95 trillion, a P/E ratio of 38.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $320.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $295.43.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple's payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone 18 Pro demand: JPMorgan said average delivery times increased to 23 days in the second preorder week from seven days in the first, suggesting demand may be stronger than expected. Analyst Gene Munster said current iPhone 18 estimates could be too conservative, while Evercore ISI raised its price target to $380. JPMorgan sees stronger iPhone 18 Pro demand
• Positive Sentiment: Foldable iPhone creates a potential premium-growth opportunity: Apple’s new iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999 and scheduled for an October 23 release, represents the company’s largest iPhone design change in years. Investors view the product as a possible catalyst for higher average selling prices and a new upgrade cycle under CEO John Ternus. Apple’s new CEO bets big on a foldable iPhone
• Positive Sentiment: AI and capital returns support the bullish case: Coverage highlighted the successful rollout of upgraded Siri AI, Apple’s reported interest in building AI inference servers, and its shrinking share count from buybacks. Apple’s large cash position, history of earnings beats and long-term shareholder returns are also reinforcing investor confidence. Apple’s shrinking share count
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader strategic opportunities: Apple and Google are hiring digital-asset specialists, potentially signaling future initiatives involving payments, stablecoins or tokenization. The company could also benefit if U.S.-China trade discussions reduce tariff pressure on technology companies. Google and Apple digital-asset hiring
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are rising: Commentators described AAPL as relatively expensive near its highs, while the $1,999 Duo could limit adoption and expose Apple to foldable-screen execution risks. Google’s AI-powered laptops and Meta’s Muse app also highlight intensifying competition in AI and consumer technology.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: Apple has begun a 90-day claims period tied to a $250 million settlement over allegations that it falsely advertised Apple Intelligence and Siri capabilities. The financial cost is manageable for Apple, but the dispute could weigh on trust in its AI strategy. $250 million Apple AI settlement claims period

About Apple

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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