WestEnd Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its Apple stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,011 shares and ending with 195,950 shares worth about $53.3 million.
• Apple reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.01 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $111.18 billion versus $109.46 billion estimated. Revenue rose 16.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally constructive on Apple, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $305.74, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high of $300.92.

WestEnd Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 195,950 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 6,011 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 1.2% of WestEnd Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $53,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 12,326 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,351,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 3.7% during the third quarter. American Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% during the third quarter. Seven Springs Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $3,934,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.9% during the third quarter. Avant Capital LLC now owns 4,814 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $335.00 target price (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Scotiabank set a $330.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $330.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.74.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL stock opened at $298.87 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $263.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $267.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.06. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.46 and a 1-year high of $300.92.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. This is an increase from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly preparing major iPhone software changes, including a more customizable Camera app, a rebuilt Siri, and broader interface updates, which investors view as a sign the company is sharpening its product roadmap ahead of future iPhone and WWDC-related announcements. Apple Stock Is Gaining Today: What's Happening Behind The Scenes?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is being helped by rising AI optimism, with commentary highlighting strong iPhone demand, solid Services performance, and potential AI partnerships such as Google Gemini, all of which support the case for continued upside. Ca$htag$: AAPL Hits Record High as AI Optimism Grows
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also getting support from reports that WWDC could be a major catalyst if it resets the market’s AI expectations and strengthens confidence in future software and ecosystem growth. The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s efforts to expand the App Store for autonomous AI agents suggest the company is trying to capture more of the next wave of AI-powered software while maintaining its security standards. Apple Prepares App Store for Autonomous AI Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s participation in U.S.-China diplomatic and business discussions could matter for supply-chain and market-access issues, but the near-term financial impact is still uncertain. Trump Arrives in Beijing for High-Stakes Xi Summit Focused on Trade, AI, and Iran
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Apple is opposing EU AI-related measures and arguing they could hurt privacy and security are more about regulatory positioning than an immediate earnings driver. Apple criticises EU measures to help AI rivals access Google services
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh tariff headlines could keep pressure on Apple’s hardware costs and supply chain if higher import duties remain in place for longer. Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling, including a modest sale by Ben Borders, may slightly temper sentiment, though it is small relative to Apple’s size and the broader bullish backdrop. SEC insider filing

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of Apple 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total transaction of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 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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