Sapient Capital LLC Has $280.40 Million Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Sapient Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 18.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,105,077 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 256,269 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises 4.2% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $280,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on AAPL shares. Maxim Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $328.60.

Insider Activity

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,342,929.25. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

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 Trading Up 1.0%

Apple stock opened at $305.26 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 capitalization of $4.46 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.01, a PEG ratio of 2.59 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $309.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $285.04.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.