South Dakota Investment Council Trims Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

South Dakota Investment Council reduced its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 749,700 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 3,018 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.6% of South Dakota Investment Council’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Apple were worth $190,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Apple during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter valued at about $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $302.25 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $284.64. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $223.78 and a one year high of $344.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 trillion, a P/E ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on AAPL. KGI Securities lowered Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Apple from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $285.56 to $263.66 in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.60.

More Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is testing DRAM chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) for iPhones and MacBooks and has discussed potential supply arrangements. Diversifying memory suppliers could reduce shortages and limit cost pressure, although geopolitical and quality-control risks remain. Apple’s CXMT Bet Could Strengthen Its Memory Supply, But Risks Remain
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly in talks with publishers to license content for an AI-powered Siri. Access to current, high-quality information could improve Siri as Apple prepares a major AI-focused iPhone software update. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter remained strong, with revenue up 16.4% year over year and earnings exceeding consensus estimates. Some investors also view the recent pullback as an accumulation opportunity, while Crake Asset Management reportedly increased its Apple position.
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple hired former American Airlines executive Nate Gatten to lead government affairs, highlighting the importance of tariffs, regulation and White House relations. The appointment could improve policy execution but also underscores heightened political risk. Apple Hires Former American Airlines Executive to Lead Government Affairs
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Tim Cook is expected to hand leadership to John Ternus on September 1, while Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey plans to retire in October. The transitions create execution uncertainty but may also mark a planned leadership refresh.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its Apple rating and price target, questioning whether the company has sufficient iPhone and AI momentum to justify its premium valuation. The firm also cited supply-chain concerns about a high-end all-glass iPhone and weaker average-selling-price growth. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Memory shortages driven by AI demand are raising Apple’s bill of materials and could pressure margins or force additional iPhone price increases. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition in AI-enabled smartphones. Apple additionally faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that its iCloud+ privacy claims misled consumers.

Apple Company 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.