Vistica Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Vistica Wealth Advisors opened a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter, buying 2,967 shares worth about $807,000. Apple now makes up 0.8% of the firm's holdings and is its 22nd-largest position.
• Apple recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $2.01 EPS versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion versus $109.46 billion expected. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 8.75.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share from $0.26, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $314.59. Insider selling has continued, including recent sales by CFO Kevan Parekh and Ben Borders.

Vistica Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,967 shares of the iPhone maker's stock, valued at approximately $807,000. Apple accounts for 0.8% of Vistica Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tillman Hartley LLC lifted its position in Apple by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Tillman Hartley LLC now owns 8,538 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,321,000 after buying an additional 1,433 shares during the period. Allianz SE lifted its position in Apple by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Allianz SE now owns 609,786 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $165,776,000 after buying an additional 5,291 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its position in Apple by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 403,403 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $109,674,000 after buying an additional 21,023 shares during the period. SVRN Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $1,416,000. Finally, Westchester Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Westchester Capital Management Inc. now owns 156,803 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,628,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apple Stock Performance

Apple stock opened at $291.13 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $285.64 and its 200-day moving average is $272.27. The company has a market cap of $4.28 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.07 and a 12 month high of $317.40.

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

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.59.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s Services business posted record revenue in the fiscal second quarter, supported by ecosystem growth, AI-related updates, and its huge installed device base. Apple Continues to Expand Services Business: What's the Path Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators said Apple still has strong fundamentals, including a solid balance sheet, loyal customer base, and products investors continue to love, which supports the long-term bull case. Jim Cramer on Apple: “It Still Has Products We All Love”
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for Apple, signaling expectations for steady profit growth over the next two fiscal years. Apple earnings estimate update
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s WWDC announcements showed a clearer AI roadmap, including next-generation Siri features and device software updates, but the market appears to be waiting for stronger evidence that these changes will drive meaningful revenue growth. Apple Unveils Siri AI. Here's Why It's Not Impressing Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage suggested Apple’s AI launch could help the stock over time, but it may take more than Siri upgrades alone to restore investor enthusiasm. Apple Just Gave Investors a Glimpse of Is AI Future at WWDC. It May Take More to Revive AAPL Stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are worried Apple’s AI ambitions are colliding with a memory-cost crunch, creating pricing pressure that could weigh on margins. Apple Faces a No-Win Pricing Dilemma. Should Investors Be Worried?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports say the market was disappointed that Apple’s Siri AI reveal did not feel like a big enough breakthrough to justify a sharper rerating of the stock. Apple's AI News Underwhelms. Siri AI Release Concerns Persist.

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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