Value Partners Investments Inc. Sells 2,043 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Value Partners Investments Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 55.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,631 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,043 shares during the quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Narus Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Apple by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Narus Financial Partners LLC now owns 20,202 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,127,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. FWG Investments LLC. lifted its position in Apple by 9.3% during the first quarter. FWG Investments LLC. now owns 7,124 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 5.3% during the first quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 32,178 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,626 shares during the period. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 0.4% in the first quarter. Mayfair Advisory Group LLC now owns 28,793 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $7,307,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signature Wealth Management Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 8.0% in the first quarter. Signature Wealth Management Partners LLC now owns 53,661 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $13,619,000 after purchasing an additional 3,990 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple plans at least five new iPhone models through early 2027, including a stronger foldable iPhone push, have reinforced expectations for a fresh product cycle and a longer growth runway. Apple plans five new iPhones through 2027, eyes Chinese-made chips amid foldable push, reports say
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also appears to be benefiting from investor optimism that it can navigate the memory-chip shortage and secure supply, including possible deals with lower-cost Chinese chipmakers, which could help protect future production. Apple negotiates with blacklisted Chinese chipmakers amid AI-driven memory crunch
• Positive Sentiment: Several market commentary pieces said Apple is holding up better than the broader tech sector, with traders viewing recent weakness as a buying opportunity and analysts still pointing to solid upside potential. Apple’s Aggressive Price Hikes Raise Eyebrows As Wall Street Links AI Chip Shortages To Inflation Pressure
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s recent price hikes on Macs and iPads are being interpreted two ways: as a sign of inflationary component costs, but also as a margin-protection move that may not hurt demand as much as feared. Jim Cramer’s Latest Thought on Apple Inc. (AAPL)
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s insider-selling activity and mixed institutional positioning are adding caution, but they are not the main driver of the stock today. Apple Stock (AAPL) Opinions on Recent Price Hikes and Analyst Views
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage continues to flag pressure on Apple’s margins and demand if higher component costs force more price increases, which could weigh on sentiment over time. Is Apple stock in trouble? Rising costs threaten margins, demand

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $308.63 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $4.53 trillion, a PE ratio of 37.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $295.25 and a 200-day moving average of $273.84. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.50 and a 1-year high of $317.40.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. The business had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 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. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 13.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total transaction of $421,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,675,650. This trade represents a 10.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,924 shares of company stock worth $825,546. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of several research reports. Maxim Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.