Zhang Financial LLC Acquires 2,990 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

by · The Markets Daily

Zhang Financial LLC raised its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 229,050 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,990 shares during the period. Apple makes up 1.9% of Zhang Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $66,278,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AAPL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $387,749,545,000 after purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Apple by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $164,218,801,000 after purchasing an additional 6,555,392 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $97,031,587,000 after buying an additional 1,866,103 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Apple by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $62,659,118,000 after buying an additional 1,379,651 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at about $52,266,468,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total value of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,872 shares of company stock valued at $1,823,201. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $319.97 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $316.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $290.98. The company has a market cap of $4.67 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.69, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.08. Apple Inc. has a 12-month low of $225.95 and a 12-month high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, at John Ternus’s first major keynote as CEO. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate the foldable could represent a roughly $14 billion revenue opportunity if Apple can stimulate premium-device demand. Apple Faces Its Biggest iPhone Test in Years
  • Positive Sentiment: Recent iPhone sales growth of more than 20% for three consecutive quarters, a large installed base and potential on-device artificial-intelligence features provide a favorable backdrop for the launch. Apple’s higher Apple TV and Apple One prices could also support Services revenue and margins. Apple’s New Mac Mini and Studio Bet Big on On-Device AI
  • Neutral Sentiment: The leadership transition from Tim Cook to John Ternus is placing additional importance on Wednesday’s event. Investors are looking for evidence that Ternus can maintain Apple’s long-term innovation and shareholder-return record while emphasizing hardware development. Tim Cook Delivered a 2,720% Total Return
  • Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s broad ecosystem and substantial cash generation remain important supports for the investment case, but the stock’s premium valuation means the market may already be pricing in a successful product cycle and strong demand.
  • Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc warned that rising memory and component costs could force Apple to raise prices. Broad price increases could cause “sticker shock” and reduce unit volumes, while selective increases could pressure gross margins. KeyBanc Delivers Stark Warning on Apple Stock
  • Negative Sentiment: Huawei and Xiaomi have introduced premium foldable devices ahead of Apple’s launch, intensifying competition—particularly in China, an important but challenging market for Apple. Huawei’s tri-fold Mate XT2 raises the bar on design and pricing. Huawei Unveils New Tri-Fold Smartphone
  • Negative Sentiment: Apple faces a costly execution test: a premium foldable near $2,000 must generate meaningful incremental demand without weakening margins or cannibalizing existing iPhone sales. Disappointing specifications, pricing or guidance could weigh on the shares after the event.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. KGI Securities downgraded Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.61.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Apple

About Apple

(Free Report)

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.

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