Apple Inc. $AAPL Stake Raised by Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 1.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 279,895 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 2,913 shares during the period. Apple comprises approximately 3.5% of Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $71,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Apple by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 58,554,032 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $14,858,200,000 after purchasing an additional 979,832 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 1.5% in the first quarter. Human Investing LLC now owns 17,203 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $4,366,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 1.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,003,424 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $254,659,000 after purchasing an additional 15,354 shares during the period. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Apple by 1.7% in the first quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 128,935 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $32,723,000 after buying an additional 2,131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV increased its position in shares of Apple by 6.3% in the first quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 65,180 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,542,000 after buying an additional 3,851 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.44.

Apple Stock Performance

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $309.46 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $309.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $282.24. The company has a market cap of $4.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $202.16 and a 1-year high of $344.57.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: India proposed extending tax exemptions for equipment suppliers to contract manufacturers through 2041. The policy could support Apple’s effort to expand iPhone production in India and reduce reliance on China. India proposes extending tax breaks for contract manufacturing in a boost for Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and bullish investors argue that Apple’s capital-light AI strategy could eventually pay off through its enormous installed base, device upgrades and Services ecosystem, without the infrastructure spending burden faced by hyperscalers. Apple’s AI Strategy Looks Different—Will It Pay Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s acquisition of PlasmaSolve could improve manufacturing simulations, device coatings and production yields, potentially supporting thinner and stronger future hardware. AAPL Stock Alert: What to Know as Apple Acquires PlasmaSolve
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple asked a U.S. court to block OpenAI and two former employees from using alleged trade secrets. OpenAI has responded by calling the case careless and publishing private communications; the dispute could affect OpenAI’s hardware plans but remains legally unresolved. Apple seeks preliminary injunction against OpenAI in trade secrets case
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple is also challenging a U.K. demand for access to encrypted user data. A favorable outcome could protect its privacy positioning, while prolonged regulatory litigation creates uncertainty. Apple launches fresh legal challenge against UK encrypted data access demand
• Negative Sentiment: The strongest pressure remains financial: Apple exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, but its outlook was viewed as disappointing. Higher memory and component costs, supply constraints, a Services revenue miss and delayed Apple Intelligence features have undermined confidence in near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: China Renaissance, DZ Bank and Phillip Securities downgraded AAPL, citing persistent memory inflation, supply risks and uncertainty over Apple Intelligence returns. With the stock trading around 35 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 2.6, investors are demanding substantial growth to justify the valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: The CEO transition adds execution risk. While some coverage views Cook’s departure as a well-prepared succession, investors will watch whether John Ternus can accelerate AI development and sustain Apple’s growth momentum.

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.