Maseco LLP Acquires Shares of 7,304 Apple Inc. $AAPL

Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,304 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock, valued at approximately $1,853,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in shares of Apple by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Apple by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Apple by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its holdings in Apple by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,587,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 4.8%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $308.63 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $201.50 and a 12-month high of $317.40. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $294.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 trillion, a P/E ratio of 37.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The business had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.06%.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly planning at least five new iPhone models through early 2027, including a bigger push into foldables, which could refresh demand and support a stronger upgrade cycle. Apple plans five new iPhones through 2027, eyes Chinese-made chips amid foldable push, reports say
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports say Apple’s stock is rebounding after last week’s selloff, with investors viewing recent price hikes as a way to defend margins rather than a sign of weakening demand. Apple’s Aggressive Price Hikes Raise Eyebrows As Wall Street Links AI Chip Shortages To Inflation Pressure— Ryan Detrick Says ‘This is the Real World Stuff’
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remained constructive, with some analysts and strategists pointing to Apple’s AI roadmap, App Store/services growth, and long-term product pipeline as reasons to stay bullish on AAPL. What’s Going on With Apple Stock Thursday?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market rotation matters too: Apple is outperforming a weak tech tape, so some of the stock’s strength may reflect investors rotating into higher-quality mega-cap names rather than a company-specific catalyst alone. Dow Jones Futures: Dow Hits High But AI Tumbles; Apple, Robinhood Are Buys As Tesla, Sandisk Dive
• Negative Sentiment: The main overhang is margin pressure from surging memory and component costs, which has already forced Apple to raise prices on Macs and iPads and could squeeze profitability if costs stay elevated. Is Apple stock in trouble? Rising costs threaten margins, demand
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also watching reports that Apple may source memory chips from blacklisted Chinese suppliers, a move that highlights the seriousness of the supply shortage and adds geopolitical risk. Russia warns Apple of $52 million fine over alleged bias against local apps

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,675,650. This represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,924 shares of company stock worth $825,546. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Apple from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. KGI Securities cut Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Maxim Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $314.85.

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.