Lazard Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,235,113 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 865,600 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.4% of Lazard Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,089,989,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 1st quarter worth $360,000. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Apple by 155.4% in the first quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 214,976 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $54,559,000 after purchasing an additional 130,820 shares during the last quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Apple by 21.1% in the first quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC now owns 82,933 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $21,048,000 after purchasing an additional 14,432 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in Apple by 22.5% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 2,851,506 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $723,684,000 after purchasing an additional 523,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Apple by 3.2% in the first quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,131 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $7,393,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $304.91 on Wednesday. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.78 and a fifty-two week high of $344.57. The company has a market cap of $4.45 trillion, a PE ratio of 34.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 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. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $309.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $284.26.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAPL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Maxim Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.60.

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s latest quarter was its strongest June quarter on record, with revenue rising 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion and earnings per share of $2.02, ahead of Wall Street expectations. Some investors and analysts, including Gene Munster, view the recent weakness as an attractive accumulation opportunity and anticipate a substantial iPhone upgrade cycle. Apple’s Dip Below $310 is a Great Accumulation Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly exploring alternative memory suppliers, including China’s CXMT, as artificial-intelligence demand tightens global DRAM supplies. Diversifying procurement could help reduce shortages and limit production disruptions, although U.S. restrictions may constrain the opportunity. Apple tests China’s CXMT memory chips
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is participating in efforts to make AI-generated content traceable, potentially strengthening platform trust and content provenance over time. The initiative is strategically relevant but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Tech’s Big Push to Make AI Content Traceable
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple Pay and Wallet chief Jennifer Bailey is retiring, creating another senior leadership transition. The impact depends on the successor and execution in financial services. Jennifer Bailey retires
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded AAPL from Hold to Underperform and cut its price target to $263.66 from $285.56. The firm cited supply-chain checks suggesting Apple may have abandoned a high-end all-glass iPhone, weakening the case for significantly higher average selling prices. Bloomberg separately reported that the 2027 device may still be on track, leaving uncertainty rather than confirmation. Jefferies downgrades Apple
• Negative Sentiment: Surging memory and storage costs could raise iPhone production expenses by roughly 38%, forcing Apple to choose between higher prices that could pressure demand and lower margins. Reports that iPhone prices have already increased by as much as $300 are intensifying concerns about consumer affordability and pricing power. Apple’s Next iPhone Could Test Pricing Power
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst confidence has cooled despite strong revenue growth, with investors questioning whether Apple can sustain premium-device growth at its roughly $4.45 trillion valuation, particularly as Nvidia and other AI leaders capture more market enthusiasm.

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.