Tufton Capital Management Lowers Stock Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Tufton Capital Management trimmed its holdings in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 2.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 93,351 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 2,109 shares during the period. Apple makes up 4.5% of Tufton Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Apple were worth $27,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the first quarter valued at about $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its stake in Apple by 890.7% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 41,984,810 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $11,413,990,000 after purchasing an additional 37,746,784 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apple by 20,464.8% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Apple by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,426,283,914 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $387,749,545,000 after buying an additional 26,856,752 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s September 9 event will be the first major product launch under incoming CEO John Ternus. Expectations for the iPhone 18 lineup, camera improvements and a possible foldable iPhone are supporting sentiment. IDC reportedly expects more than 10 million foldable iPhone shipments in the first year, although that forecast remains speculative. Apple stock rises ahead of September event
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is raising U.S. prices for Apple TV and Apple One subscriptions, in some cases by up to 20%. The increases could lift services revenue and margins, though investors will monitor customer retention and potential subscription churn. Apple raises subscription prices
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to add Apple Pay support across its U.S. stores and Sam’s Club locations by the end of 2026. Wider acceptance could increase Apple Pay usage and strengthen Apple’s payments ecosystem. Walmart to add Apple Pay support
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results provide fundamental support: Apple reported quarterly EPS of $2.02 versus a $1.89 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 16.4% year over year to $109.42 billion.
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO transition creates both opportunity and execution risk. Ternus’s product-design background is viewed favorably, but he will face an immediate test with the iPhone launch shortly after taking over from Tim Cook. Apple’s first iPhone launch under John Ternus
• Negative Sentiment: Apple is eliminating roughly 147–200 jobs across Siri, machine-learning and Vision Pro teams while redirecting resources toward AI. The restructuring may improve focus, but it also highlights concerns about Siri’s delays and Apple’s position in generative AI. Apple layoffs in Siri and Vision Pro teams
• Negative Sentiment: High expectations and a premium valuation leave less room for disappointing foldable-iPhone demand, AI progress or margins. Rising memory-chip costs could also pressure profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: Apple SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares worth approximately $447,000. The sale is small relative to Apple’s size and may be routine, but it provides a modest negative sentiment signal. SEC Form 4 filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on AAPL shares. HSBC raised shares of Apple from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $260.00 to $366.00 in a report on Thursday, July 16th. China Renaissance lowered shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Apple from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up from $310.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.53.

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 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.95, for a total transaction of $447,457.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 37,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,576,357.55. The trade was a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,425,754.82. This represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 4,433 shares of company stock worth $1,367,024 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $319.70 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $312.24 and a 200-day moving average of $288.43. The company has a market capitalization of $4.67 trillion, a PE ratio of 36.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.09. 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 $225.95 and a 52-week high of $344.57.

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

Apple Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.39%.

Apple 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.