Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Has $142.77 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 525,172 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,016 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.5% of Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $142,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Aspen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Aspen Capital Management LLC now owns 22,606 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $6,146,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. RMR Wealth Builders lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 132,523 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $36,028,000 after acquiring an additional 5,706 shares during the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,043,000. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. now owns 352,920 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $95,945,000 after acquiring an additional 12,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apple by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,420 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $25,941,000 after acquiring an additional 23,112 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $310.85 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $195.07 and a 12-month high of $313.26. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.45. The company has a market capitalization of $4.57 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on AAPL shares. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Maxim Group raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson raised their price objective on Apple from $241.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $310.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of Apple stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Timothy D. Cook sold 64,949 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.23, for a total value of $16,511,984.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,280,418 shares in the company, valued at $833,980,668.14. This represents a 1.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 97,759 shares of company stock valued at $24,964,305. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Apple to $380, saying AI features and a redesigned Siri could drive substantial incremental revenue over the next few years. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research also boosted its outlook ahead of WWDC 2026, saying Apple could finally show “real AI sizzle,” which has helped fuel expectations for a stronger product cycle. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple pieces highlight Apple’s recent stock strength, including new record highs and growing optimism that the company’s Services business and ecosystem remain resilient even as iPhone growth slows. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: News that Android smartphone makers may be hit harder than Apple by AI memory shortages could be relatively supportive for AAPL by comparison, but it is more of an industry backdrop than a direct catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles point to Apple trading near all-time highs and approaching a $5 trillion valuation, reinforcing bullish momentum, though these are mostly commentary rather than fresh company-specific developments. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors remain cautious because iPhone shipment momentum is softening and Apple’s next major growth driver still needs to be proven at WWDC, which leaves room for disappointment if AI announcements underwhelm. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One Reuters item notes Apple and Google are pushing back against Canada’s online safety bill over encryption concerns, a regulatory issue that could create future headline risk. Article Title

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.