Petra Financial Advisors Inc. Sells 1,778 Shares of Apple Inc. $AAPL

Petra Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 57.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,300 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 1,778 shares during the period. Petra Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Apple were worth $330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Apple in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. ROSS JOHNSON & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Apple by 1,800.0% during the 1st 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 during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $65,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apple during the 4th quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Apple in the fourth quarter worth $76,000. 67.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on AAPL. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Apple from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KGI Securities lowered shares of Apple from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Apple in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Apple in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Apple from $345.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple

In other Apple news, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the business’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 sale, the insider 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Stock Up 0.3%

AAPL stock opened at $313.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $309.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $283.23. Apple Inc. has a 12 month low of $219.25 and a 12 month high of $344.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.09.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $109.04 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Apple Announces Dividend

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

Apple News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Planned CEO transition appears orderly. Tim Cook will step down in September and be succeeded by longtime Apple executive John Ternus, a veteran with experience dating back to the Steve Jobs era. Cook’s endorsement and Ternus’ familiarity with Apple’s products may reduce concerns about strategic disruption. Tim Cook Says There’s ‘No Better Person’ to Take Over at Apple
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong. Apple’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up roughly 16% year over year. Broad iPhone, Mac and Services demand continues to support the bullish case. Tim Cook’s Last Quarter as CEO Was Apple’s Best June Quarter Ever
• Positive Sentiment: App Store monetization is holding up. App Store revenue increased slightly despite a 4% decline in iPhone and iPad downloads, as revenue per download rose 4.7%. This suggests continued pricing and engagement resilience in a key Services business. Apple App Store Revenue Ticks Up Despite Falling Downloads
• Neutral Sentiment: OpenAI is seeking dismissal of Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit. OpenAI denies misappropriating confidential information related to Apple’s consumer-hardware efforts. The filing does not resolve the dispute, leaving legal and competitive uncertainty in place. OpenAI Seeks Dismissal of Apple’s Trade Secrets Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term cost and growth pressures are weighing on sentiment. Rising memory prices, supply constraints and policy risks could pressure margins, while slower Services growth has prompted some firms to downgrade Apple to Hold or Moderate Sell. Apple’s Capex Strategy Worked But Other Pressures Are Mounting
• Negative Sentiment: Competition in emerging hardware is increasing. Samsung reported a 30% rise in foldable-device preorders, highlighting a market Apple has yet to enter. Investors may view future Apple foldables as an opportunity, but execution and timing remain uncertain. Samsung Foldable Preorders Jump 30%

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.