Waycross Partners LLC Sells 14,327 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Waycross Partners LLC reduced its Apple position by 5.5% in the first quarter, selling 14,327 shares and retaining 245,448 shares valued at approximately $62.3 million. Apple represents about 6% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 67.73% of Apple, with major holders including Vanguard, Norges Bank and Nuveen. An Apple insider also sold 1,274 shares for approximately $369,460.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $330.44. Apple recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but concerns remain over valuation, component costs, supply constraints and delays to Apple Intelligence.

Waycross Partners LLC lowered its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 245,448 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 14,327 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 6.0% of Waycross Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Waycross Partners LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $62,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple during the first quarter worth approximately $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its stake in Apple by 890.7% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after buying an additional 37,746,784 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Apple by 20,464.8% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after buying an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Maxim Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.44.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: India proposed extending tax exemptions for equipment suppliers to contract manufacturers through 2041. The policy could support Apple’s effort to expand iPhone production in India and reduce reliance on China. India proposes extending tax breaks for contract manufacturing in a boost for Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bullish investors argue that Apple’s capital-light AI strategy could eventually pay off through its enormous installed base, device upgrades and Services ecosystem, without the infrastructure spending burden faced by hyperscalers. Apple’s AI Strategy Looks Different—Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s acquisition of PlasmaSolve could improve manufacturing simulations, device coatings and production yields, potentially supporting thinner and stronger future hardware. AAPL Stock Alert: What to Know as Apple Acquires PlasmaSolve
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple asked a U.S. court to block OpenAI and two former employees from using alleged trade secrets. OpenAI has responded by calling the case careless and publishing private communications; the dispute could affect OpenAI’s hardware plans but remains legally unresolved. Apple seeks preliminary injunction against OpenAI in trade secrets case
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is also challenging a U.K. demand for access to encrypted user data. A favorable outcome could protect its privacy positioning, while prolonged regulatory litigation creates uncertainty. Apple launches fresh legal challenge against UK encrypted data access demand
• Negative Sentiment: The strongest pressure remains financial: Apple exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, but its outlook was viewed as disappointing. Higher memory and component costs, supply constraints, a Services revenue miss and delayed Apple Intelligence features have undermined confidence in near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: China Renaissance, DZ Bank and Phillip Securities downgraded AAPL, citing persistent memory inflation, supply risks and uncertainty over Apple Intelligence returns. With the stock trading around 35 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.6, investors are demanding substantial growth to justify the valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: The CEO transition adds execution risk. While some coverage views Cook’s departure as a well-prepared succession, investors will watch whether John Ternus can accelerate AI development and sustain Apple’s growth momentum.

Apple Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $309.46 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $202.16 and a 12-month high of $344.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $309.42 and a 200-day moving average of $282.24. 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 stock has a market cap of $4.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued 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 is currently 12.39%.

Apple Company 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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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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