Apple Inc. $AAPL is Payden & Rygel’s 2nd Largest Position

Payden & Rygel boosted its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 275.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 138,310 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 101,510 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up approximately 3.1% of Payden & Rygel’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in Apple were worth $40,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,266,468,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Apple in the 1st quarter valued at $17,472,482,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Apple by 890.7% in the 4th 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 holdings in Apple by 20,464.8% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 27,069,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $5,553,753,000 after purchasing an additional 26,937,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 26,856,752 shares during the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AAPL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Rosenblatt Securities increased their target price on shares of Apple from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Seaport Research Partners cut shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, June 5th. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Apple in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $245.00 target price (down from $253.00) on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.53.

Apple Price Performance

NASDAQ:AAPL opened at $315.34 on Thursday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.95 and a 52 week high of $344.57. 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 company has a market capitalization of $4.60 trillion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $317.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $291.73.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.39%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.01, for a total transaction of $456,177.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 35,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,345,787.90. This represents a 3.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 5,872 shares of company stock worth $1,823,201 in the last ninety days. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone, starting at $1,999. The device features a 7.6-inch unfolded display, a 5.4-inch outer screen and a redesigned hinge, creating a potential new high-margin product category and growth opportunity. Apple unveils iPhone Duo
• Positive Sentiment: The iPhone 18 Pro lineup adds a 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip, camera improvements, longer battery life and upgraded Siri AI features. These upgrades could support premium pricing and strengthen Apple’s artificial-intelligence strategy. Apple iPhone 18 Pro launched
• Positive Sentiment: Apple also launched AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4, adding improved noise cancellation, health tracking and Apple Intelligence features. The broad hardware release may support ecosystem engagement and services revenue. Apple introduces AirPods 5
• Neutral Sentiment: New CEO John Ternus used his first keynote to emphasize that the iPhone remains Apple’s core platform, signaling continuity with the company’s established strategy while adding foldable hardware and AI capabilities. Apple’s new CEO is reviving a Steve Jobs strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Early reviews of the iPhone Duo were generally intrigued, but demand, production capacity and customer acceptance remain unproven. Analysts estimate the foldable could generate substantial revenue if Apple can avoid supply constraints. iPhone Duo first impressions review
• Negative Sentiment: Apple raised iPhone 18 Pro pricing by $100 and increased prices on older iPhone models. While higher prices could protect revenue and margins, they may limit unit demand, particularly as consumers face elevated component and memory costs. Apple raises prices on older iPhones
• Negative Sentiment: Huawei launched its Mate XT2 tri-fold smartphone ahead of Apple’s event, highlighting intense competition in foldables. Investors must also monitor manufacturing complexity, elevated inventory and the risk that the highly anticipated launch becomes a sell-the-news event. Huawei launches Mate XT2

About Apple

Apple Inc is a technology company that designs, develops and markets consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its principal products include the iPhone, Mac computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware products.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Pay and iCloud. These services provide digital content, payments, cloud storage and subscription offerings across the company’s ecosystem of devices.

Founded in 1976, Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, and serves consumers, businesses, educational institutions and government customers worldwide.