Baer Investment Advisory LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Baer Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 310.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 57,525 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 43,509 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises approximately 1.8% of Baer Investment Advisory LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Baer Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $14,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $69,000. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 40,543 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China approved Apple Intelligence for iPhones, a key regulatory green light that clears the way for Apple’s AI rollout in one of its most important markets and could help support upgrades and Services growth. Reuters: Apple Intelligence AI service registered with China’s cyberspace regulator
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Apple is exploring acquisitions of AI chip startups to strengthen its server and AI hardware capabilities reinforced the idea that the company is actively investing to remain competitive in AI without a huge data-center spending spree. Reuters: Apple chasing AI chip company deals, The Information reports
• Positive Sentiment: News that Apple may spend about $30 billion through its Broadcom partnership adds confidence in supply-chain security and custom silicon development, which investors see as supportive for future product cycles and margins. Yahoo Finance/Reuters: Apple Plans to Spend $30 Billion in a Deal With Broadcom (AVGO)
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also won dismissal of a high-stakes iCloud-related lawsuit, removing an overhang and improving sentiment around legal risk. Yahoo Finance: Apple Wins Dismissal of iCloud Lawsuit
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media and analyst pieces noted Apple’s stock hitting record highs and trading near a new 52-week high, reflecting strong momentum after a sharp run-up rather than a fresh fundamental surprise. Investopedia: Apple Could Buy an AI Chip Company. Its Hot Stock Just Set a Fresh Record High
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc downgraded Apple to Underweight, warning that slowing hardware demand, softer Services growth, and valuation concerns could limit further upside. Yahoo Finance: KeyBanc Downgrades Apple on Growth Concerns

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, CFO Kevan Parekh sold 1,534 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.00, for a total value of $421,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,366 shares in the company, valued at $3,675,650. The trade was a 10.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,924 shares of company stock worth $825,546. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $327.50 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $301.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $276.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.10. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.50 and a fifty-two week high of $328.73. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change 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%. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Maxim Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $314.26.

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.