Apple Inc. $AAPL is Sarasin & Partners LLP’s 4th Largest Position

Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,847,698 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,129 shares during the period. Apple makes up 6.3% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Apple were worth $534,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter worth $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the first quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 890.7% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after buying an additional 37,746,784 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after buying an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares during the period. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AAPL has been the topic of several research reports. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $285.56 to $263.66 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Phillip Securities downgraded shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apple currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.53.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $311.30 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $4.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $310.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.89. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.78 and a 1-year high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced 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. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s payout ratio 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

Insider Activity at Apple

In other Apple news, 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 transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total transaction of $442,478.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,668 shares in the company, valued at $11,890,023.32. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 2,994 shares of company stock valued at $919,567 in the last quarter. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.