Versant Capital Management Inc Sells 4,682 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Versant Capital Management Inc cut its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,980 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 4,682 shares during the period. Apple makes up 1.7% of Versant Capital Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Apple were worth $19,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Apple by 1,800.0% in the first 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 last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn upgraded Apple to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $400 from $260. The firm cited potential growth from a premium foldable iPhone and a strategic reset of Apple Intelligence, while suggesting Apple could use Nvidia’s open-source AI models to improve its position. Apple Stock Got an Upgrade. It Could Be the AI Gatekeeper.
• Positive Sentiment: Antitrust relief removes a legal overhang. Apple reportedly won significant relief in an antitrust battle, potentially reducing regulatory risk around its App Store and business practices. Apple Wins Major Relief in Antitrust Battle
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-iPhone event demand appears supportive. A KeyBanc survey indicated improving consumer spending ahead of Apple’s expected September product launch, providing a potential near-term catalyst for iPhone sales. Why Investors Should Consider Buying Apple Stock Ahead of Its September iPhone Event
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is changing European app-tracking consent rules following a German competition investigation. The changes may benefit Meta and advertisers, but could reduce some of Apple’s control over data-related monetization. Apple to change app data consent rules, German regulator says
• Negative Sentiment: Memory-chip sourcing is a growing risk. The Trump administration urged Apple not to buy Chinese memory chips because of national-security concerns. Complying could raise component costs, while defying the request could create political or supply-chain complications. Apple May Buy Chinese Memory Chips Despite US Request
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution concerns remain. At roughly $306 and about 35 times earnings, bearish commentary argues that much of Apple’s quality is already reflected in the price and that AI progress may not justify a higher multiple. Apple’s Red Flags Are Real and Signal Trouble
• Negative Sentiment: Security and App Store-management reports add reputational risk. Investigators reported an unusually large number of spyware alerts affecting Apple users, while DefiLlama said fake apps delayed its launch. Apple has also patched a critical macOS flaw exploited for cryptocurrency mining. Unprecedented number of Apple users received recent spyware alert

Apple Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $305.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a one year low of $223.78 and a one year high of $344.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $309.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $285.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS 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 company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Apple’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid 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 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Apple in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. HSBC raised Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 target price on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their price target on Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.53.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total transaction of $442,852.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,342,929.25. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.