Starter Stock Portfolio: 5 Large-cap Stocks To Buy

4. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 138

Legendary investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is the largest shareholder of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) because of its stable earnings over the years. The company’s current EPS growth rate is 10.7%, while it is expected to grow by 10.5% in the coming years, according to analysts. Along with Berkshire Hathaway, 138 hedge funds were reported having stakes in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in Q2, up from 127 in the previous quarter. The total value of these stakes is $145.5 billion.

Amit Daryanani of Evercore ISI believes that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) can benefit from the growing advertisement market as the company gained some share in the digital ads market in the recent past. The firm lifted its price target on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to $180, while keeping an Outperform rating on the shares.

ClearBridge Investments mentioned Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its first-quarter 2021 investor letter. Here is what the firm has to say:

“As we actively manage holdings and position sizes, we look to regularly recycle capital into more compelling opportunities. Maintaining our valuation discipline, we sharply reduced our position in Apple, whose shares more than doubled following our initial purchase in mid-2019 with an earnings multiple rising from the low-to-mid teens to nearly 30x.”