Apple Inc. $AAPL is Granite Investment Partners LLC’s Largest Position

Granite Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 219,048 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 20,065 shares during the period. Apple comprises 3.4% of Granite Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Granite Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $55,592,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC upgraded Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $366.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Apple from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 17th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $380.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $325.89 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.50 and a twelve month high of $334.99. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $305.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $278.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.79 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s payout ratio is 13.06%.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly plans a major overhaul of its Mac lineup to meet demand for AI-powered computers, with new versions of every Mac product expected. That could support future hardware upgrades and help Apple participate more directly in the AI spending cycle. Apple Plans To Overhaul Computers to Meet AI Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also set to launch a new “Apple Upgrade” device leasing program with Klarna, which could make iPhones, Macs, iPads and Apple Watches easier to finance and potentially lift replacement demand. Apple to launch ‘Upgrade’ device leasing program to spur sales, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentators remain constructive on Apple’s long-term momentum, arguing the company’s ecosystem, pricing power and upcoming product cycle still support the stock despite recent volatility. Why Apple (AAPL) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Samsung’s new foldable launches and rising prices highlight the competitive pressure in premium mobile devices, while also signaling that Apple’s expected entry into foldables is increasingly on investors’ radar. Samsung unveils wider foldable phone, hikes prices as chip costs rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple remains a top-market-cap stock and is trading near peak valuations, which keeps sentiment mixed heading into earnings and makes the shares more sensitive to any disappointment. Is Apple stock overvalued? Here’s what AlphaSpace valuation metrics say.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple lost a key court bid in its Masimo dispute, leaving a $634 million Apple Watch patent verdict in place. That legal overhang is a direct negative for sentiment because it preserves a costly judgment and keeps the litigation risk alive. Apple Fails to Overturn $634 Million Masimo Verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors and analysts are warning that Apple’s stock has become expensive after a strong run, which is pressuring the shares as traders lock in gains ahead of earnings. The Risk in Apple’s Stock That Nobody Is Talking About

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.