Weiss Asset Management LP Has $11.71 Million Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Weiss Asset Management cut its Apple stake by 55.8% in the first quarter, selling 58,243 shares and retaining 46,140 shares valued at approximately $11.71 million.
• Despite Weiss’s reduction, several other institutional investors increased their positions, and institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 67.73% of Apple’s stock.
• Apple exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, while analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $328.60 price target. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, implying a 0.4% yield.

Weiss Asset Management LP reduced its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 55.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,140 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 58,243 shares during the quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP's holdings in Apple were worth $11,710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Everest Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 82,933 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $21,048,000 after acquiring an additional 14,432 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 22.5% in the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 2,851,506 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $723,684,000 after purchasing an additional 523,765 shares during the period. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,131 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $7,393,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the period. Union Square Park Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Apple in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,269,000. Finally, Van Diest Capital LLC lifted its stake in Apple by 197.1% in the 1st quarter. Van Diest Capital LLC now owns 17,586 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $4,463,000 after purchasing an additional 11,666 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $308.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $283.86. The stock has a market cap of $4.50 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.35, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.78 and a 1-year high of $344.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The firm 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group cut Apple from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $285.56 to $263.66 in a research report on Monday. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $328.60.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing memory chips from China’s CXMT for some iPhones and MacBooks sold in China. If approved by U.S. authorities, the move could provide an additional supply source and help mitigate shortages caused by surging AI-related demand. Apple tests China's CXMT memory chips
• Positive Sentiment: Some Apple-focused investors, including Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster, argue that the shares remain undervalued and that future iPhone price increases, artificial-intelligence features and a potential upgrade cycle could support longer-term growth. Gene Munster disagrees with Apple downgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is scheduled to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share on August 13 to eligible shareholders, providing a modest near-term shareholder return. Apple dividend payment
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. Analyst Edison Lee reportedly believes Apple has scrapped a planned all-glass iPhone because of production challenges, removing a potential premium product that could have lifted average selling prices and profitability. Apple could underperform without an all-glass iPhone
• Negative Sentiment: Memory and storage costs are rising sharply amid the AI-driven supply crunch; reports suggest iPhone 18 production costs could increase by roughly 38%. Apple may need to raise prices, risking weaker demand, or absorb the costs, pressuring margins. Apple's iPhone 18 costs could jump 38%
• Negative Sentiment: The CXMT testing also introduces geopolitical and execution risks: U.S. restrictions could limit Apple’s access to the supplier, while CXMT’s capacity and technology may lag established memory manufacturers. These issues add uncertainty to Apple’s supply chain and pricing strategy.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate 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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