Ben Borders Sells 1,274 Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Stock

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total value of $369,460.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,226,770. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Apple Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:AAPL traded up $2.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $294.80. The stock had a trading volume of 45,677,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,295,297. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 trillion, a P/E ratio of 35.65, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $262.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $266.47. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $193.46 and a fifty-two week high of $295.27.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $111.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.46 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 146.69% and a net margin of 27.15%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. This is a positive change from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are looking ahead to WWDC, where Apple may finally lay out a clearer AI strategy and new growth roadmap, which could reinforce the recent rally. The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that iOS 26.5 will bring end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging between iPhone and Android users highlight continued software improvements and ecosystem strength. Apple And Google Finally Close SMS Security Gap As iOS 26.5 Brings End-To-End Encrypted RCS Messaging For Android And iPhone Conversations
• Positive Sentiment: Apple’s planned iOS 27 camera redesign could give users more pro-level controls, adding another potential hardware-software upgrade catalyst. Apple’s (AAPL) iOS 27 Camera App Could Bring Pro-Level Controls to iPhone Users
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple also announced a renewable-energy partnership with CleanMax in India, which supports sustainability goals but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Apple Inc (AAPL) Partners with CleanMax to Enhance Renewable Energy Capacity in India
• Negative Sentiment: A federal appeals court temporarily kept Trump’s 10% global tariffs in place, which may leave Apple exposed to higher import-related costs on consumer electronics supply chains. Appeals Court Temporarily Reinstates Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs During Ongoing Legal Fight

Institutional Trading of Apple

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First National Bank of Hutchinson increased its holdings in shares of Apple by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 35,319 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $8,845,000 after purchasing an additional 6,982 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 54,085 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $13,544,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Apple by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 537,314 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $134,554,000 after purchasing an additional 69,207 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Apple by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 66,857 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $16,742,000 after buying an additional 2,695 shares during the period. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE lifted its position in Apple by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Highview Capital Management LLC DE now owns 50,264 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,587,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AAPL shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Apple from $320.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective (up from $325.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Apple from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.74.

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.