Apple Inc. $AAPL Shares Bought by Values Added Financial LLC

Values Added Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,183 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,540 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.7% of Values Added Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Values Added Financial LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $10,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Apple by 1,800.0% in the 1st quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought 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 and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Orderly CEO succession: Tim Cook is leaving the CEO role after 15 years but will remain Apple’s executive chairman. Cook strongly endorsed successor John Ternus, a longtime hardware leader, potentially reducing fears of an abrupt management break. Tim Cook’s parting message: Apple is in the hands of a product builder
• Positive Sentiment: Product catalysts ahead: Apple’s first major product event under Ternus is expected September 9, with reports pointing to new iPhones and a possible foldable model. Strong iPhone demand, potential iOS market-share gains and rising interest in Mac hardware for AI workloads could support future revenue. Apple Valuation Nears $5T as John Ternus Steps Up as New CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong track record and support: Cook’s tenure produced substantial shareholder gains, while Apple’s latest quarter delivered revenue growth and an earnings beat. Analysts’ median price target remains above the current quotation, although the stock’s elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointment.
• Negative Sentiment: AI strategy concerns: Ternus inherits an artificial-intelligence strategy that relies heavily on outside partners, leaving Apple behind leading rivals in some areas. Investors will look for evidence that the new CEO can accelerate AI-powered Siri and on-device capabilities. Apple’s New CEO Inherits an AI Strategy Built on Outsiders
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risks: Commentators warn that App Store pressure, supply-chain challenges, potential memory-cost inflation and a trailing P/E near 37 make Apple vulnerable if the September launch disappoints. Apple TV+’s latest price increase could also slow subscriber growth. Apple Is Facing One of Its Most Challenging Times in a Decade

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities raised their price objective on Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Apple presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.53.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL traded down $5.57 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $314.13. 15,789,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 49,966,969. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $288.52. The company has a market cap of $4.58 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $225.95 and a 1-year high of $344.57.

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

Apple Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’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 value of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total transaction of $447,457.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,576,357.55. This represents a 3.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock worth $1,367,024. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.