Hardin Capital Partners LLC Decreases Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Hardin Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,901 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,883 shares during the quarter. Hardin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,122,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Apple during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAPL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Phillip Securities lowered Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. KeyCorp reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,890,023.32. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 2,994 shares of company stock worth $919,567 in the last 90 days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of Apple stock opened at $311.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $310.26 and a 200 day moving average of $286.89. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.78 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The firm has a market cap of $4.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as a defensive Big Tech holding because it relies less on massive AI infrastructure spending than peers. Analysts also describe the company as an underappreciated AI beneficiary, supporting demand for the stock during technology-sector volatility. Apple Holds Firm as Investors Seek Big Tech’s Defensive Outlier
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalysts—including a potential foldable iPhone, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027, new Apple silicon and expanded Siri AI capabilities—could support a stronger product cycle. One analyst estimates foldable iPhone sales could reach 14 million units by 2027. Apple’s Foldable iPhone Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating ahead of incoming CEO John Ternus’s September 1 transition, while Redburn upgraded Apple. The bullish case centers on renewed innovation and stronger AI investment under new leadership. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise Under New CEO Ternus
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Samsung are gaining share in India as higher chip costs pressure lower-priced Chinese smartphone competitors, potentially improving Apple’s premium-market opportunity. Chip Squeeze Hits Chinese Smartphones in India
• Neutral Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares for approximately $442,000, reducing her holdings by 3.59%. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing but is relatively small compared with her remaining stake.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Apple has become predictable and dependent on incremental improvements. The CEO transition creates execution risk, with Ternus expected to decide whether to materially increase spending to compete in AI. Apple Has Gotten Too Predictable
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that App Store commission revenue declined 18%, alongside continuing legal and regulatory challenges, raise questions about the durability of Apple’s high-margin Services growth. Apple’s App Store Commission Revenue Reportedly Drops

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.