Ridgepath Capital Management LLC Purchases 1,998 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Ridgepath Capital Management LLC grew its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 40.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,919 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 0.9% of Ridgepath Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $1,756,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Apple by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $387,749,545,000 after acquiring an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Apple by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 604,056,505 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $164,218,801,000 after acquiring an additional 6,555,392 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 358,032,517 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $97,031,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866,103 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Apple by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 230,483,035 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $62,659,118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $52,266,468,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple 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. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $311.00 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.59 and a 1 year high of $344.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market cap of $4.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.67, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $309.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $282.62.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Apple’s revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone demand supports the recovery. Apple’s fiscal third-quarter revenue reached a June-quarter record of $109.4 billion, while external data indicate quarterly iPhone sales were stronger than headline disclosures suggested. India sales reportedly exceeded $10 billion, highlighting potential for further geographic growth. Apple’s Quarterly iPhone Sales Were Even Better Than They Seem
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators view the selloff as excessive. Bullish coverage points to Apple’s ecosystem, balance sheet, recurring services revenue and long-term ability to benefit from artificial intelligence, while CNBC commentators recommended remaining long AAPL. Apple’s Selloff Is Overdone
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is preparing for a leadership transition. Tim Cook’s final quarter as CEO was a record June quarter, but John Ternus now inherits questions about AI execution, product innovation and growth. September product rumors, including a possible foldable iPhone, could provide a future catalyst but remain unconfirmed. Tim Cook’s Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple’s Best June Quarter Ever
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s legal battle with OpenAI is escalating. Apple is seeking an injunction over alleged trade-secret misuse, while OpenAI has publicly challenged Apple’s claims. The dispute may protect Apple’s technology but also introduces legal and strategic uncertainty around AI hardware plans. Apple Seeks Preliminary Injunction Against OpenAI
• Negative Sentiment: Cost pressures and cautious guidance remain the main overhangs. Reports say memory prices are expected to rise, potentially compressing margins and increasing iPhone costs. Analysts including DZ Bank, China Renaissance and Phillip Securities downgraded AAPL, citing persistent component inflation, slower Services growth and an unclear AI payoff. AAPL Downgrades as Wall Street Sees Memory Inflation Pressures Persisting
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation leaves little room for disappointment. Despite an earnings beat, AAPL trades at a premium multiple, while Services growth slowed and guidance raised concerns that near-term earnings may not justify the valuation. Google’s expected Pixel Tag could also create incremental competition for AirTag, though the financial impact is likely limited. Apple: A Price That Leaves Nothing for the Buyer

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AAPL. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Apple from $364.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their price target on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 price target on Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.44.

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.