Western Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Western Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 32.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 348,678 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after acquiring an additional 85,584 shares during the quarter. Apple comprises about 3.3% of Western Wealth Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Western Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $88,491,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JMG Financial Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Apple by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Apple by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Apple by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Investment Co increased its stake in Apple by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 14,354 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $3,902,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Performance

Shares of AAPL stock opened at $305.93 on Monday. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.78 and a twelve month high of $344.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $308.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $285.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’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 value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total transaction of $442,852.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president 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 owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $328.60.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is reportedly training a China-specific large language model with Alibaba’s support. The initiative could bring Apple Intelligence to Chinese users, improve Apple’s competitive position against Huawei and reduce reliance on third-party AI models in a key market. Apple trains China-specific AI model
• Positive Sentiment: Apple opened an advanced manufacturing center in Houston that will support AI-server production, Mac mini assembly and workforce training. The facility reinforces Apple’s U.S. investment plans and may improve supply-chain resilience and relations with policymakers. Apple opens Houston manufacturing facility
• Positive Sentiment: Apple reportedly received about $2.2 billion in tariff refunds. The cash recovery could offset some trade-related expenses and support near-term earnings and cash flow. Apple tariff refund report
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is discussing usage-based content agreements with publishers to improve the upgraded Siri’s access to current information. A stronger Siri could help narrow Apple’s perceived AI gap and support future services growth. Apple publisher talks for Siri
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple proposed a 15% commission on purchases made through external links in iOS apps amid its continuing legal dispute with Epic. The proposal could preserve some App Store revenue, but the final regulatory and legal outcome remains uncertain. Apple proposes external purchase commission
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple’s valuation remains demanding, with a market capitalization near $4.5 trillion and a forward earnings outlook that leaves the stock sensitive to execution. An insider sale by SVP Jennifer Newstead was disclosed, though such transactions do not necessarily indicate a change in corporate fundamentals. Apple insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded Apple, citing concerns about the canceled or delayed all-glass iPhone concept, limited near-term AI momentum and rising memory-chip costs. Higher component prices could pressure margins and make it harder for Apple to justify its premium valuation. Jefferies Apple downgrade and iPhone concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Google’s Pixel 11 is placing Gemini more deeply into the smartphone experience, raising the competitive stakes for Apple ahead of the iPhone 18 launch and Siri’s broader overhaul.

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.