Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 840,815 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Kentucky Retirement Systems cut its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 91.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,284 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 840,815 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Apple were worth $18,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Rainier Family Wealth Inc. now owns 24,386 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $6,189,000 after acquiring an additional 3,014 shares in the last quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Apple by 21.3% during the first quarter. Eaton Cambridge Inc. now owns 13,968 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter worth about $1,178,000. Summit Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 108.3% in the first quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,989 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,880,000 after purchasing an additional 18,188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corp purchased a new stake in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,482,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total value of $442,852.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,342,929.25. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total transaction of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. China Renaissance cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $310.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $328.60.

Key Apple News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly received approximately $2.2 billion in tariff refunds, which could support near-term cash flow and earnings. More than 40 S&P 500 companies have reported receiving refunds from the broader tariff program. S&P 500 Companies Claim First Payouts From $100 Billion Tariff Refund Wave
• Positive Sentiment: Apple opened a 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, where it plans to assemble Mac mini computers and co-locate advanced AI-server production. The facility strengthens Apple’s U.S. manufacturing narrative and may improve supplier capabilities. Apple’s Tim Cook joined by Howard Lutnick in opening Houston manufacturing plant
• Positive Sentiment: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund disclosed Apple as its second-largest global holding, valued at roughly 522 billion Norwegian kroner. The position provides a signal of continued confidence from a major long-term investor. Apple Stock Rises While Norway Fund Reveals Huge Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is negotiating performance-based licensing agreements with publishers to supply current content for an upgraded, AI-powered Siri. The deals could improve Siri’s usefulness, but the potential nine-figure expense would pressure services margins and monetization remains uncertain. Apple in Talks to Pay Publishers to Improve AI-Powered Siri
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies reduced its Apple price target, questioning whether the company has enough product and artificial-intelligence momentum to justify its premium valuation. Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup also intensifies competition ahead of Apple’s expected Siri and iPhone updates. Apple Stock Falls After Jefferies Slashes Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Rising memory and other component costs could erode Apple’s margins even if demand remains strong. Apple is testing Chinese supplier CXMT for DRAM, which could diversify supply but introduces geopolitical and quality-related risks. Apple Stock’s Biggest Risk Is The Memory Bill, Not Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 Apple shares for approximately $443,000, reducing her direct stake by 3.46%. The transaction is relatively small but may add modest insider-selling pressure. Apple SEC Form 4 Insider Sale

Apple Price Performance

AAPL stock opened at $305.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.78 and a 52 week high of $344.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $309.00 and its 200 day moving average is $285.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s payout ratio is currently 12.39%.

About Apple

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.