Xponance LLC Increases Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Key Points

• Xponance LLC increased its Apple stake by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 25,834 more shares and bringing its total to 3,699,721 shares worth about $1.01 billion. Apple is now Xponance’s second-largest holding, making up roughly 7.5% of its portfolio.
• Wall Street sentiment remains broadly positive on Apple, with several analysts raising or reaffirming bullish price targets. The consensus rating is Moderate Buy, and the average price target stands at $314.59.
• Apple reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, while also increasing its dividend to $0.27 per quarter. However, some recent commentary suggests the market is still cautious about whether Apple’s AI/Siri upgrades will meaningfully boost the stock near term.

Xponance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,699,721 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after purchasing an additional 25,834 shares during the period. Apple accounts for about 7.5% of Xponance LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Xponance LLC's holdings in Apple were worth $1,005,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 97,177 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 5,808 shares in the last quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 110.9% in the third quarter. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC now owns 135 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 15.7% in the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 298,920 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 40,543 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on AAPL shares. Maxim Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $330.00 price target on Apple in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Deirdre O'brien sold 30,002 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.35, for a total value of $7,661,010.70. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,934,433.50. This represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators say Apple’s new Siri AI, stronger AI integration across iOS/macOS, and continued iPhone growth could support a longer-term upgrade cycle and services expansion. AI Integration and iPhone Growth Assert Apple Inc. (AAPL) as One of the Best Forever Stocks to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its earnings estimates for Apple, signaling confidence in profit growth over the next two fiscal years.
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors see Apple as a durable large-cap holding with strong cash flow, margins, and a favorable balance sheet, which may help limit downside. Does Apple Stock Have More Upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several reports said the WWDC AI reveal was solid but not a major surprise, which may explain why the market’s reaction has been muted. Apple Unveils Siri AI. Here's Why It's Not Impressing Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage noted that Siri’s upgrades are promising, but questions remain about whether they are enough to reaccelerate the stock near term. Siri upgrades show promise, but questions remain
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer and other commentators described Apple as one of the cleanest big-cap stories, but also suggested the broader market is cautious around the AI rollout timing. Apple's AI News Underwhelms. Siri AI Release Concerns Persist.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Apple’s AI announcement may not be enough to lift the stock because the monetization timeline is still unclear. Apple Just Introduced Next-Generation Siri AI at WWDC. Why That Might Not Be Enough to Give AAPL Stock a Boost.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage from investors and traders suggests the market is still skeptical that Siri AI will materially change Apple’s competitive position versus rivals like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic in the near term. Apple Just Delivered Bad News for OpenAI and Anthropic, but Alphabet Could Be a Winner

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $295.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.34 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.07 and a 52 week high of $317.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $284.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $272.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

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

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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