Sarasin & Partners LLP Acquires 7,129 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,847,698 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,129 shares during the period. Apple makes up 6.3% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Apple were worth $534,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in shares of Apple in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC raised its position in Apple by 1,800.0% during the first quarter. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC now owns 190 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Timmons Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Apple during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $69,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Apple in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Apple in the 4th quarter worth approximately $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Apple

In related news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.49, for a total value of $442,478.11. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 38,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,890,023.32. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of Apple stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,994 shares of company stock valued at $919,567. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as a defensive Big Tech holding because it relies less on massive AI infrastructure spending than peers. Analysts also describe the company as an underappreciated AI beneficiary, supporting demand for the stock during technology-sector volatility. Apple Holds Firm as Investors Seek Big Tech’s Defensive Outlier
• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming product catalysts—including a potential foldable iPhone, camera-equipped AI AirPods targeted for 2027, new Apple silicon and expanded Siri AI capabilities—could support a stronger product cycle. One analyst estimates foldable iPhone sales could reach 14 million units by 2027. Apple’s Foldable iPhone Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating ahead of incoming CEO John Ternus’s September 1 transition, while Redburn upgraded Apple. The bullish case centers on renewed innovation and stronger AI investment under new leadership. Apple Must Relearn How to Surprise Under New CEO Ternus
• Positive Sentiment: Apple and Samsung are gaining share in India as higher chip costs pressure lower-priced Chinese smartphone competitors, potentially improving Apple’s premium-market opportunity. Chip Squeeze Hits Chinese Smartphones in India
• Neutral Sentiment: Senior Vice President Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares for approximately $442,000, reducing her holdings by 3.59%. The transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing but is relatively small compared with her remaining stake.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Apple has become predictable and dependent on incremental improvements. The CEO transition creates execution risk, with Ternus expected to decide whether to materially increase spending to compete in AI. Apple Has Gotten Too Predictable
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that App Store commission revenue declined 18%, alongside continuing legal and regulatory challenges, raise questions about the durability of Apple’s high-margin Services growth. Apple’s App Store Commission Revenue Reportedly Drops

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AAPL. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seaport Research Partners downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. KeyCorp restated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. China Renaissance downgraded shares of Apple from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.53.

Apple Stock Performance

AAPL opened at $311.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.09. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.78 and a twelve month high of $344.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $310.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $286.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The company had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

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

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.