Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 840,815 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 91.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,284 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 840,815 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Apple were worth $18,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. JMG Financial Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.7% in the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC increased its position in Apple by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Investment Co lifted its stake in Apple by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $305.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.78 and a twelve month high of $344.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $309.00 and its 200-day moving average is $285.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.01, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is 12.39%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly received approximately $2.2 billion in tariff refunds, which could support near-term cash flow and earnings. More than 40 S&P 500 companies have reported receiving refunds from the broader tariff program. S&P 500 Companies Claim First Payouts From $100 Billion Tariff Refund Wave
• Positive Sentiment: Apple opened a 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, where it plans to assemble Mac mini computers and co-locate advanced AI-server production. The facility strengthens Apple’s U.S. manufacturing narrative and may improve supplier capabilities. Apple’s Tim Cook joined by Howard Lutnick in opening Houston manufacturing plant
• Positive Sentiment: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund disclosed Apple as its second-largest global holding, valued at roughly 522 billion Norwegian kroner. The position provides a signal of continued confidence from a major long-term investor. Apple Stock Rises While Norway Fund Reveals Huge Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is negotiating performance-based licensing agreements with publishers to supply current content for an upgraded, AI-powered Siri. The deals could improve Siri’s usefulness, but the potential nine-figure expense would pressure services margins and monetization remains uncertain. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reduced its Apple price target, questioning whether the company has enough product and artificial-intelligence momentum to justify its premium valuation. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition ahead of Apple’s expected Siri and iPhone updates. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and other component costs could erode Apple’s margins even if demand remains strong. Apple is testing Chinese supplier CXMT for DRAM, which could diversify supply but introduces geopolitical and quality-related risks. Apple Stock’s Biggest Risk Is The Memory Bill, Not Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 Apple shares for approximately $443,000, reducing her direct stake by 3.46%. The transaction is relatively small but may add modest insider-selling pressure. Apple SEC Form 4 Insider Sale

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total value of $442,852.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,342,929.25. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AAPL. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Maxim Group reiterated 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. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Tigress Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.60.

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.